


Clair de Lune

by AdamIskariot



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Also Romance, Detective/Surgeon AU, Fluff and Smut, Kinda, Laura Lives, M/M, Slow Build, also very unrealistic romance, ask me if i care, could get pretty cheesy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-04-12 19:56:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4492620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdamIskariot/pseuds/AdamIskariot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ballistic trauma or gunshot wound (GSW) is a form of physical trauma sustained from the discharge of arms or munitions. The most common forms of ballistic trauma stem from firearms used in armed conflicts, civilian sporting, recreational pursuits and criminal activity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Memory

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've uploaded in a long time, so I'm pretty nervous as to how it's gonna turn out. I hope you guys like it.
> 
> Also, this (http://kisu-no-hi.tumblr.com/image/103322989479) is how Ruben (and Laura later on) appears in this fic, just to make it easier for everyone to imagine.  
> Art by tumblr user kisu-no-hi, all credit to the artist.
> 
> Ruben is about 29 in this fic, Sebastians 36. I wanted some nice age difference yo.
> 
> This is not betad so I apologize for any mistakes.
> 
> -Adam

_**Tuesday, 13:24 PM  
** _ _**Beacon General Hospital** _

  
"What do we have?"

The clicking of heels reached his conscience, a dull noise, mostly muffled by the blood rushing in his ears.

"Ballistic trauma, upper thoracic region, no organ damage."

The was a short hum to be heard, like someone acknowledging the information that had just been given. Then, the sound of papers being hastily looked through. The hurried footsteps never ceasing to reach his ears, and he could feel he was moving, though his legs were still.

"Any personal information? Name?" The first voice spoke up again; a rough, masculine one. It was obvious the person it belonged to was deeply concentrating.

"KCPD, judging by the uniform. Doesn't carry any papers, badge only says detective..." The second, feminine voice trailed off, the soft sound of an automatic door opening followed.

“Did you ask the person who got him here? They should know.” The man sounded slightly annoyed now, but more focused than just a minute ago. He felt cold hands on his face, then someone checking his pulse.

“No one brought him here, he was waiting at the reception when he collapsed. Too much blood loss.”

There was a short, deep snicker to be heard. “The man got shot and doesn't even go find a nurse. Idiot, who would wait at the reception in a case like this?”

They came to a sudden halt. He could sense the presence of at least two people around him, one very close, the other further back. Cold, gentle fingers were prodding at his chest just around where the stinging pain radiated from and he could feel himself flinching slightly. Suddenly, bright light penetrated his closed eyelids tinting his vision in a faint orange, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment as a weak groan left his throat.

The dull sound of clicking heels reached his ears again as the second person came close, then there was a sudden sharp sting in his left arm, causing him to let out another groan. He tried opening his eyes to look around and get a sense of what was going on around him, but as soon as he even so much as moved his head a little, a cold hand on his forehead pushed him back down. “No, no. Now, don't do that.” The hand moved slightly down and over his eyes, indicating him to keep them closed.

“Forceps, scissors”, the same voice said a second later, sounding far away now, even though the man had not moved an inch form his chest. The clicking of heels could be heard once again, but even duller than last time. The white light shining through his eyelids was getting darker too, the noises around him seemed to fade away, like he was falling asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

_**Tuesday, 13:56 PM  
** **Beacon General Hospital** _

  
It felt like he had only been out for a split-second but when he tried to open his eyes this time, there was no one there to stop him from doing so. There were still people in the room with him, he could make out faint talking not too far from where he was lying.

It took his eyes a few second to get adjusted to the light and even then he managed to open them only slightly. Just as he wanted to look down at himself though, the conversation stopped and he could hear someone striding towards him. Cold hands moved to his neck, feeling his pulse.

“Someone give him another anesthetic, his heart's speeding up.” The words were spoken fast, just on the verge of being mumbled. It was the masculine voice again, the rough one, though this time it sounded somewhat annoyed. Clicking heels entered the room again, followed by the sound of someone opening various cupboards. As he tried to look over, a cold hand moved over his eyes again, pushing his head back down.

“How much did you give him the first time? Quick now, give me that.”

The mumbled response was mostly drowned out by the clicking of the woman's heels, though the man seemed to have understood.

“The man was shot, what were you thinking? He's supposed to be out for another hour, at least. I can't have him bleed all over the bandages.” The man's deep voice was louder now and he was definitely annoyed. Apparently the woman reacted offended because as soon as she had walked close to him she immediately turned, the sound of her heels growing quieter as she left.

He tried opening his eyes again, this time with a little more success. He caught a glimpse of the man sitting besides him, leaning over his left arm. He tried to voice a question, ask what was going on, when he felt a dull sting in in his arm. He jerked his head and let out a weak hum of protest which caught the other man's attention. Pale gray eyes met his though he quickly lost focus as his eyelids grew heavy once more. The cold hand on his forehead pushed his head down but he was too powerless to struggle. He let out a sigh as the world went black again.

 

* * *

 

 

 

_**Tuesday, 16:12 PM  
** _ _**Beacon General Hospital** _

  
He was woken by a dull ache in his chest. Groaning, he tried opening his eyes before he remembered that the was apparently not supposed to. He lay there a few minutes, slowly gaining consciousness, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did.

After a couple more minutes he opened his eyes slowly, carefully. To his surprise there was no one in the room with him. He was even in a different room than before, a slightly bigger one. He looked around lazily spotting a small table in one corner, a sterile with wardrobe in another. One side of the room went around a corner, though he couldn't see what was there. He lay in a bed, plain white sheets draped across his lower body as part of his chest was wrapped in bandages. “What the hell...”, he mumbled to himself, reaching a hand to his chest to prod lightly at the spot where the pain was most intense. Hissing quietly he brought the hand up and through his hair, when he noticed the thin tube attached to the inside of his elbow. He glanced upwards at the infusion pack hanging above the bed, filled halfway with red liquid. His face twisted in disgust of the idea of having another person's blood pumped into him. He was in a hospital, that much was clear.

He was still weak, barely managing to sit up, let alone stretch. His back was killing him.

There was a quiet clicking sound followed by unhurried footsteps. He looked up to see a man standing in front of his bed, the sight of him causing his eyebrows to rise somewhat.

The other was dressed in a white doctor's coat, black dress pants and white dress shirt with a tie around his neck. Though that is not the reason Sebastian practically _stared_ , it's the man's skin. There were burns seemingly all over his body, as they reached from the collar of his shirt all the way up to his hairline, some of the scars reaching his forehead, his chin and cheeks. His pale blond hair was shaved at the sides of his head, probably because they didn't grow where the scars were. The hair at the top of his head were neatly brushed back giving him a very neat appearance. His finger, currently holding a clipboard were scarred as well.

Luckily, the man wasn't looking back at him, his eyes were focused on the papers he was reading through. Only once did he quickly glance up at his patient. He sat there a while while the other continued looking through what he figured were personal files and data.

“Detective Castellanos, correct?”, the doctor spoke up, his voice rough and rather quiet. He recognized it immediately from the previous times he'd heard it.

“Sebastian, yes.” He wanted to ask what was going on, what the hell had happened, when the other spoke again.

“I successfully removed the bullet and stitched the wound. No serious damage was done. Still, you will have to stay for about seven to ten days. For observation.” The man was looking at him now, his pale gray eyes meeting Sebastian's, who recognized them from before.

“Wait, wait, wait. What bullet? What are you talking about?” The genuine confusion was clear in his voice. What _was_ the man talking about?

“You have a ballistic trauma, Mister Castellanos. You were shot.” The doctor's voice sounded monotone, almost bored.

“No. No, hold on a minute. I would remember that. Hell, I'd _remember_ getting _shot_. I-” He looked around the room in confusion, brow furrowed in concentration. How could he not remember?

“Adrenaline. I presume you also do not remember coming here and collapsing at the reception?”

Sebastian could only shake his head. It was beyond him, the whole situation was too much, too bizarre. _How_ could he not remember getting _shot_ in the fucking chest?

“Stressful situation can sometimes cause temporal memory loss. It'll come back to you, don't worry.” He put the files on a small table besides the bed which Sebastian hadn't noticed before. The doctor then turned to Sebastian, arms crossed casually.

“I need you to answer a few questions regarding your condition. Do you feel awake enough for that?” As Sebastian gave a hum of agreement the doctor moved slightly closer, moving a hand to the other man's bandaged chest.

“How do you feel, generally? Any headaches? Nausea?”, he began asking while his hands checked the bandages briefly.

“My back hurts, but that's normal nowadays. My chest too...” The doctor glanced up at him, an eyebrow raised, showing him that he was stating the obvious. “But no, no headaches or anything”, he added quickly.

The other man looked over his IV, then stated, “This should last another half hour. After that you should be fine, blood level wise.” He then straightened and cleared his throat. “I'll need you to stand up for a bit. Watch the tube.”

“'Course.” Carefully grabbing hold of the tube with one hand, he moved the covers so he could get up. He was still wearing the trousers he had put on to work this morning, which was kind of a relief. At least he could remember _some_ things. He stood up cautiously, wincing as he felt the needle in his arm shift slightly under his skin.

“Alright, I will press some spots next, and you will tell me if hurts.” His voice was still monotonous but his eyes looked less bored than before. The blond's hands reached up, cool fingers pressing at Sebastian's shoulder. He hummed lowly, as to say “that hurts a bit”, which earned him a somewhat annoyed upwards glance from the doctor. “Yes or no, Mister Castellanos. No humming.” The detective nodded and mumbled a quick “sorry”, only noticing right then how tall he was in comparison to the other man, who was at least four inches shorter than him. He was thin, looking even more so next to Sebastian with his broad shoulders and muscular chest. It made the detective feel a bit awkward, having to look down at the doctor like this.

“Are you listening to me? I need you to pay attention. We can do this later if you have problems focusing.” The doctor was looking him in the eyes now and Sebastian had to hold back a small chuckle. There was a certain strength in the other man's pale eyes, it looked almost intimidating, though most of that was lost in the way he had to tilt up his head in order to look at his patient.

“No, I'm good. I mean we can go on, no problem. Was just... lost in thought for a second, I think my memory's coming back.” It wasn't a complete lie, his memory _did_ start coming back. Something about his latest case, though it was all still blurred and vague.

The other man gave a short hum and nodded his head, pressing two fingers against Sebastian's collarbone. As the other man didn't react he glanced upwards again, raising an eyebrow in question. His eyes were softer now, less intimidating.

“No. Doesn't hurt there.” The doctor's fingers moved downwards, closer to the actual wound, where they pressed down again, rather gently.

“Now that hurts a little...” It went on like this for a couple of minutes, the smaller man pressing various spots on Sebastian's chest area. When he ran two fingers down the officer's sternum and asked if it made him feel any nausea, Sebastian just shook his head and said, “I'm sorry, but isn't this nurse's work usually?”. The glare he got for this statement made him swallow.

“I don't like people interfering my work. You were assigned to me as my patient, so I will be the one looking after your well being, Mister Castellanos. If you do not like my methods you may go and ask to get assigned to another station.” Just as Sebastian was about to answer, the man pressed his fingers uncomfortably close to his wound none too gently. Hissing, the taller man flinched, trying to get away from the doctor's hands. He took a step backwards, placing a hand on his chest and rubbing lightly to get the pain to subside. “What was that for?” He didn't look at the other, too busy tending to his own chest, hoping his eyes would somehow stop it from hurting.

“I will check on you again in a few hours,” the doctor said as he straightened and Sebastian could _hear_ the slight smirk on his lips. “If you have any question or need anything, press the green button.” He motioned to the side of Sebastian's bed where a pad with various buttons on it was located, one of them green. He then began recovering the files off of the small bedside table. “Also, if your memory comes back, please tell me. I will have to write a report. Your personal belongings are in the closet.” With that he made his way to the door and closed it behind himself, leaving a somewhat perplex detective behind.

He stood there, dumbfounded, hand still on his chest, before he let out a long sigh. Great, now he was stuck here for at least a week with this weirdo of a doctor. Hen would have to call the police station, or Joseph.

He grabbed hold of the IV pack and held it up awkwardly as he walked over to the closet. His tie and holster lay next to his neatly folded shirt and vest, which both had a nasty looking hole where the bullet had entered his body. Sebastian winced at the sight. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten shot but the first time he'd gotten a bullet to the chest. He had a scar on his right thigh and one near his hip, but those shots hadn't been too dangerous. This one on the other hand could have gotten to his heart; it could have _killed_ him. And he couldn't even remember how it happened, let alone _who shot him_.

He was about to reach into his pocket with his free hand when he remembered that he had left his phone on his desk at the station this morning, together with his wallet, before he had left for… something, he couldn't remember. It had to do with his latest case, he was sure, and with how he ended up getting shot.. He sighed, at least his memory _was_ coming back.

He decided to explore his room a bit. Besides his bed, the two tables and the closet, he noticed that around the corner there was a second door in the room leading into the bathroom which held a toilet, a bathtub, a sink and some cupboards filled with shampoo samples and fresh towels. Sebastian stepped out of the room again to investigate further. Next to the main door there was a second very small closet filled with a wide range of band-aids and various types of disinfectant. He closed the closet and turned to the main door. Stepping out of his room, he found himself in a wide white hallway, feeling quite uncomfortable now, walking around a hospital practically shirtless with only his trousers and socks on.

On his right the hallway led to a window with a table and some chairs in front of it, so Sebastian decided to walk the other way. He passed quite a few doors, some of them had numbers on them, others said “Observation” or “Staff” or Showers”. Soon, he reached the end of the hallway. A nurse sat behind a counter, busily typing something into a computer in front of her. There was also a phone to her right and a stack of clipboards to her left, which all held various files.

Stepping closer he cleared his throat to gain her attention, since she did not seem to have noticed him yet. She looked up at him and stopped typing. “Oh, Mister…-”, she glanced at the screen quickly, “-Castellanos, right? How do you feel?”

“Uh, fine, I'm fine.” He shifted slightly, feeling very aware of his appearance. “Excuse me, I- could I make a phone call?”

“Of course, just a second, let me help you with that.” Sebastian's brow furrowed, though he soon realized as she rounded the counter and walked over to him that she had meant the IV pack he still very awkwardly held in his left hand. She motioned him to hold it a little higher with his other arm, then took his left wrist and carefully removed the bandage from around his elbow. She then told him to stretch his arm out and cautiously pulled the needle out of his arm, quickly pressing the bandage to the small puncture. “Hold this for a minute, it should stop bleeding then”, she told him and took the IV pack from him, putting it in a tray on the counter.

She took her seat behind the computer again, pushing the phone in Sebastian's direction before going back to typing. The detective walked over, still pressing the bandage to the inside of his elbow. After a good two minutes of him just standing around awkwardly had passed, he lifted the cloth off his arm carefully, noting that no blood came out of the small puncture anymore. He threw the bandage in a thrash can next to the counter and went about calling Joseph. He heard it ring a few times before the call was answered, a familiar voice announcing, “Detective Oda, KCPD” could be heard.

“Joseph, it's me, Sebastian. I'm-”

“Seb? God, where are you? I was worried, you left your phone at the station again. I called you like five times.” The other sounded genuinely concerned and Sebastian could imagine him clutching the Phone to his ear right then.

“Calm down, I'm fine. I think… I'm in hospital, Beacon General. I- Well, I guess it's a longer story, but-”

“What? What happened?”, the other man interrupted again, making Sebastian sigh somewhat annoyed. “You stay where you are, I'm coming over there.” Before he could answer, Joseph had hung up. He raised an eyebrow, putting the phone back on the counter and thanking the nurse briskly.

The officer made his way back to his room slowly. It was very much like Joseph, reacting like this. Ever since he had found out about Sebastian's drinking problem (which really was not a problem anymore, _dammit_ ) he had been very protective of Sebastian, which made the older man feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes, but overall safe, actually. Though he would never admit that to anyone. But it was kind of reassuring, knowing someone always had your back should you mess up.

Cursing lowly, he realized he had not even bothered to check what number his room was. He certainly did not want to go back and ask the nurse, he felt stupid enough as it was, walking around here half naked. Luckily, he had not passed another soul except the nurse. He walked up and down the hallway as quietly as possible, trying to figure out which room was his, when he noticed a painting that looked slightly familiar. It was a still life held in dark colors, showing a wilting sunflower. He remembered looking over it briefly as he had exited his room before. He moved to the door opposite the painting and slowly, carefully opened it, peeking inside the room stealthily. There was no one in there, which was a good sign. He quickly walked over to the wardrobe and opened the door, sighing in relief as he found his possessions lying on the shelves.

It wasn't like him to feel this self-conscious, he was a normally a very confident man, but something about this hospital made him feel terribly self-aware. It made him uncomfortable.

Striding back towards the bed he reached a hand up and through his hair, sighing as he sat down. He could use a drink right now. Thinking of it, he hadn't seen his flask in that closet. The personnel must have taken it away when they cleaned the rest of his things. Sighing once more, he lay back, staring at the ceiling lazily.

 

* * *

 

_**Tuesday, 18:31 PM  
** _ _**Beacon General Hospital** _

  
He must have nodded off because when he opened his eyes and stretched halfheartedly he could hear a faint chuckle from across the room. Pushing back his hair he sat up, groaning as he felt his back shift.

“Getting old, are you?”, he heard Joseph say as he was rubbing his eyes. He yawned, then shot the younger detective a mock-angry glare. It earned him another chuckle, then Joseph cleared his throat, his expression growing serious.

“I told you to be careful.” Sebastian felt a slight anger rise from the pit of his stomach at the younger man's tone. There was concern in it and forced professionalism - Joseph always tried to act as seriously as possible around Sebastian, as if to impress him. But for Sebastian the disappointment in the other man's voice was clearer than anything else.

“Joseph,” he said, his voice somewhat strained, “don't. Don't patronize me.” When he looked up and their eyes met, Joseph didn't even blink. He just sat there with his arms crossed, confidently staring back at Sebastian. They sat like this for a minute, each of them trying to stare the other down, when Sebastian felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. Breathing out a laugh he turned his head to the side, running a hand over his face. When he looked back at Joseph he saw that the other, too, was smiling. They had been partners for so long, they couldn't stay mad at each other for more than a few hours, if even that.

“So, you're gonna tell me what happened? The nurse told me what she knew, but she didn't know how you got shot.” His voice was back to normal.

“Yeah, that's because _I_ don't remember myself.” When Joseph gave him a questioning look he clarified, “I don't know why, the doctor said something about stressful situations leading to temporal memory loss or some shit.” He shrugged, swung his legs off the bed and walked over to the table. He sat down, running a hand through his hair and sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I'll have to stay here for at least a week,” he mumbled lowly, rubbing his eyes.

Joseph was just about to say something, when a soft knock could be heard. Both their heads turned to the door and Sebastian could hear his partner's breath hitch as the doctor from earlier that day stepped into the room. The blond looked at Sebastian first, then Joseph, his brow furrowing.

“Visitors are not allowed at this hour, Mister Castellanos,” he pointed out, looking back at the Canadian. “I will have to ask you to leave, Sir.” The tone of his voice was polite, though Sebastian could sense a bit of annoyance behind the doctor's words.

“This is work related, he's my partner-”, the detective started to form an excuse but was cut off by a sharp glare from the blond who was still standing in the doorway, clutching the door handle.

Joseph raised his hands defensively before pulling his partner's phone and wallet out of his pockets, placing them on the table. “Thought you might need these. Oh, and give me your apartment keys, I'll bring the stuff you need over tomorrow.” With that he stood and walked towards the door, nodding at the doctor as he pushed past him.

“You should tell your partner it's rude to stare,” he stated coolly, placing the files he was carrying on Sebastian's bed. He looked over one paper quickly, his scarred fingers tracing the lines he was reading.

The brunet walked over to him, shifting awkwardly as he stood before the smaller man who was now inspecting his bandages. “I will have to take these of tomorrow and take a look at the wound.” His voice was softer now, less cold, and Sebastian relaxed slightly.

“Why don't we sit sown, this could take a while.” He motioned back at the table and took a clipboard with blank pages before walking over to sit. Sebastian followed wordlessly and took a seat opposite the doctor.

“Please, Mister Castellanos, tell me what you remember about what led to you coming here. Start at the beginning, the memory might come back sooner that way.” He pulled a pen from the lab coat he was wearing and began scribbling something on the papers.

Sebastian sighed. This was going to take a while.

 


	2. Paper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not betad, beware.
> 
> Sorry this chapter took me so long to do, but I didn't want to force myself into writing it. I hope you understand.  
> I'm not quite happy with how it turned out (but that's nothing new hah) but I hope you guys like it!
> 
> Also, thanks to merely_madness, Grace_Zed, ChuChu, LeslieLili26, Kattya+Yuki+Flores, update fiend, Donskoi and Krikri for leaving comments,  
> as well as d_ve, BoboKitty, merely_madness, Grace_Zed, goldchild2, Shadowofdarkness22, zielins, Sirenligrim, Donskoi, Meivey, CutieBread and others for leaving kudos.  
> I really appreciate it!
> 
> \- Adam

**Tuesday, 18:58 PM  
Beacon General Hospital**

 

“Look, I already said I don't remember anything, I don't think this is gonna lead anywhere”, Sebastian sighed, running a hand over his face. He just really wanted to sleep.

“Well, it won't if you are not even willing to try and get your memory back.” The man's cold tone made the detective flinch. The doctor's voice had been rather soft just a moment ago, now he just sounded annoyed.

“Fine. Alright then, should I just make something up?” The blond's jaw tightened at the words and Sebastian had to hold back a smirk. He knew it wasn't very wise to be an asshole to the person who could easily order someone to sedate him again, but man he was tired. He didn't have the nerves for this right now.

“Lying to your assigned surgeon about the cause of your injury is indictable”, the other stated simply, his pen tapping against the empty papers impatiently.

The detective let out an exasperated breath and shifted in his seat, placing his elbows on the desk. He let his chin rest on his hands, looking at the doctor whose pale eyes mustered him coolly. Raising an eyebrow at Sebastian the other questioned, “Are you ready to cooperate now? Good. Start with the last thing you can remember, we will work our way up from there.”

He was just about to form another sarcastic comment but wisely decided against it. His brow furrowed as he tried to remember what had happened that morning. A low hum left his throat as he started to recall vague details. “I'm working on a case right now. Nothing major, some rich guy reported various thefts...” He glanced at the doctor briefly who was writing down what Sebastian told him.

Rubbing his eyes sleepily he continued, his voice rough and drowsy, “I think Joseph found out it was actually a gang that kept breaking into the guy's house. Or Kidman, I don't remember… Anyways, they sent me to check out the area, I think...” He put a hand under his chin in concentration. His memory actually _did_ start coming back to him. “Yeah, I think that's right…”

The doctor was now scribbling on the papers fast, underlining and circling certain words, thought Sebastian couldn't read a thing. The man was apparently a doctor through and through, his handwriting was impossible to decipher. Though it looked elegant, with curved lines and a consistent pattern of scribbles that were the lower case letter the detective figured, it was impossible to read. Now that he thought about it, there was actually a strangely elegant aura about the doctor himself. In fact, he looked almost graceful as he wrote, the way he moved and talked, it all seemed oddly elegant.

Sebastian mustered the man's scarred face, unconsciously mimicking his expression, his brow furrowed and lips parted just slightly. As Sebastian looked over the other's face, he noted that the scars ran from his left cheekbone down the side of his neck and further down until they disappeared under his collar. The were scars on his scalp too and some patches of shaved blond hair here and there. Sebastian figured the doctor shaved off as much as he had to since it would look strange having patches of hair in random patterns. The top of his head seemed untouched by flames though, as the doctor grew pale blond hair there, neatly brushed back and out of his face.

“Are you finished then, _Mister Castellanos_?”, the doctor snapped suddenly, his voice sharp and biting. It made the detective jump visibly and his eyes shot up to meet the other's cool gray ones. He swallowed, his eyes wide. Well, this was the last thing he wanted, getting caught literally staring at his doctor. Great.

“I- I'm sorry, I just-”, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, to embarrassed to meet the man's eyes. “I didn't mean to stare, I...” He felt his face grow hot. Man, that was one of the rudest things he could possibly have done, and he had not even noticed until the doctor had snapped him out of it.

“I'm used to being stared at. I cannot change that, but normally people try to be _discrete_ about it.” His voice sounded strained. Sebastian could see that he was uncomfortable now, adjusting his collar and tie, not meeting the detective's eyes as Sebastian tried to look at him.

“Listen, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have-”, Sebastian started anew but was cut off as the doctor raised a hand, motioning him to stop talking.

“Let's just continue, shall we?”, the blond asked, not expecting an answer. His voice sounded tense and his eyes wouldn't look up from the papers in front of him. Sebastian sighed, he felt even worse now. He ran a hand through his hair, shifting uncomfortably as the doctor took a deep breath before continuing as if nothing happened, “You were sent to observe the area. What happened next?”

Sebastian didn't know what to do with his hands, so he just put them in his lap and twiddled his thumbs self-consciously. “Well, I… I walked around there for a bit, I think.” Placing his elbows back on the table he started rubbing his temples as he felt a headache coming on. He was too tired for this.

“Do you have headache, Mister Castellanos?” The other had stopped writing and was looking up at the detective now who just nodded his head, groaning as the pain grew worse. “That's a good sign, the memory is coming back.”

The statement earned him a frustrated groan from Sebastian. “You have any painkillers? I really don't need this right now.” The soft chuckle that followed made him look up slowly. He saw the doctor reach into one of his lab coat's pockets and pulling out a small orange pill bottle. He handed it to the brunet who took it with an appreciating nod. He opened the cap and took out one of the small yellow pills, swallowing it dry before going back to rubbing his temples.

They remained like this for a few minutes as the pain slowly subsided, sitting opposite each other. Sebastian had his eyes closed, expression relaxing more and more as the drug kicked in. He could feel the other's eyes on him, mustering him with his cool gaze. It made the detective somewhat uncomfortable, though he did not comment on it.

“Are you feeling well enough to continue?”, the doctor questioned when Sebastian had let out a small sigh of relief.

“I think so...”, he answered, his voice even drowsier than before. He swallowed once more and ran a hand over his face tiredly. Placing his elbows back on the table, he placed his chin on his hands and raised an eyebrow at the doctor who was still mustering him. There was a certain glint in his eyes Sebastian could have only described as curiosity. He brushed that thought off a second later, though. The man probably just wanted to know what to write in his report. It had nothing to do with Sebastian.

“Right. So, I went to check out the area surrounding the guy's house and… Ugh, I don't remember. I think there was a warehouse, something like that...” His brow furrowed in concentration, his gaze fixed on the doctor's pen as it elegantly moved over the paper. “Yeah that's right. I went inside, I think… did I? Ah, I don't know.” He placed his head in his hands and let out an irritated groan. Man, he was so tired.

There was a sound of rustling paper and when Sebastian looked up again he noticed the doctor had placed a pen and a few sheets of blank paper in front of him. Grabbing the pen out of habit and moving it between his fingers lazily, he raised an eyebrow at the other man.

“Draw what you see. I want you to let yourself fall into that memory and draw it”, he stated simply, his voice carrying an amused undertone. The doctor had now adopted the same pose Sebastian had had just a minute ago; elbows on the table, his chin resting on his hands.

Sebastian put the pen down quickly, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “No, I can't draw and I won't. Don't you have any other tricks?” He did not care if it were for therapy purposes, he would gladly save himself the embarrassment. He had tried painting once and it had not gone well, he just wasn't an artistic person at all. Sure, he enjoyed art, but he could never do it himself.

The doctor sighed, rolling his eyes and taking the papers back. “Fine then, close your eyes.” When Sebastian tried to form a question the other just cut him off with a motion of his hand. He sighed and decided to cooperate, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back relaxedly.

“Alright, now please let yourself fall into the memory. Describe your surroundings”, the blond demanded, his voice soft again. Sebastian tried to follow his orders, brow furrowing as he focused on the image of the warehouse he had described earlier.

“It's dark. Nighttime. I'm in the warehouse but it's empty…” He felt a bit stupid, sitting there with his eyes closed, but he tried to shrug it off.

“Good. Is there anyone with you? Can you see anybody?”

“No, I don't think so...”. It was getting easier to let the memory play out with the doctor asking him questions, letting it wash over him. “It's dark, I can't see anyone. I have a flashlight but it doesn't do much...”

“Are you armed, Mister Castellanos?”

“I always am when I'm on duty...”, he answered. The question made his thought wander briefly. Where was his gun? He hadn't seen it in the closet with his other stuff. Well, maybe the nurses had taken it away…

“Is there-”, the doctor started when Sebastian interrupted him. “There's someone here, I can hear it…”

“Describe it. What do you hear? What do you see?” The doctor was hastily scribbling on the papers now, the sound reaching Sebastian's ears. He tried to concentrate, his brow furrowing.

“Heels, it sounds like heels… There's someone there with me, I can feel it.” His shoulders tensed and he felt a shiver running down his spine. It all seemed so surreal to him, like he was re-watching a movie he had seen years ago. He remembered some sequences but couldn't recall all the details, it made him feel sick. “It's a women, she's standing in front of me now, a few feet away… She's looking at me.”

“Describe her. What does she look like? Is she armed?”

“I can't see her face, it's all blurry… She has long hair though, black. She's wearing all black, I don't know if she has a weapon, I- No, nonono _wait_!”, Sebastian cried, jumping violently. His eyes were open wide and his knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of the table firmly, panting heavily. He reached a hand up to his chest, clutching over his heart, his eyes unable to focus. He felt cold hands on his shoulder, pulling him back gently. The doctor placed two fingers against his neck just below the jaw, feeling his pulse.

“I didn't think you would react this violently, I apologize. Do you want to lie down?”, he asked, concern clear in his voice. Sebastian did not react, his thoughts racing, the memory hitting him like a wave. His hands went up to his face and he placed his head into them, trying to control his breathing. “I am truly sorry, normally patients only react this way under hypnosis...”. Sebastian just shook his head at the doctor's words.

“It's fine, I'm just… It's all coming back right now”, he mumbled, hands still covering his face. “I can't believe I forgot all that. How could I forget _that_?

For a while he sat there, unable to do anything. He felt the doctor's presence next to him and it was not exactly comforting, but still better than being alone.

The sound of electronic beeping broke the silence. The blond reached into his pocket and pulled out an old-fashioned pager, groaning quietly as he read the message. Pressing a button on the side of the device, he shoved it back into his coat, turning to Sebastian. “I apologize, I have patients to attend to. Are you going to be alright? I can send a nurse to look after you, if you wish.” His eyes were still mustering Sebastian emphatically.

“No, don't worry, I'll be fine,” he insisted, running a hand through his hair for the millionth time that day. “Really, I'll be fine...”. He moved to stand up slowly, head still feeling dizzy as he smiled down at the doctor reassuringly.

“I hope so, I cannot have a patient of mine collapse, it's bad for the record.” The blond started collecting his things, picking up the papers from the desk, then walking over to the bed where the rest of his files lay.

Sebastian gave a snort at his words, raising an eyebrows. “Bad for the records, huh”, he muttered under his breath so the doctor could not hear him. Then, louder, he asked, “Is there anywhere I could get something to eat around here? I'm starving...”.

The doctor looked up briefly and Sebastian could have sworn he saw the corners of his lips twitching upwards just the tiniest bit. “Of course, I will order a nurse to bring you food. Which reminds me...”, he pulled out a sheet of paper from one of the clipboards, handing it to Sebastian as he walked past him on his way out. “Fill this out please and return it to me tomorrow.” He leaned down to adjust the bandages casually, before straightening his back and clearing his throat. “Don't stretch, avoid sleeping on your side or front and don't swallow too fast. If you feel any pain, call for a nurse”, he spoke, his voice monotone. Then, in a slightly softer tone he added, “I will see you tomorrow, Mister Castellanos.”

Sebastian watched him leave, shaking his head quickly as he caught himself admiring the doctor's elegant movements. “What the hell am I doing...”, he muttered to himself as soon as he was alone, turning his attention to the paper he had just been handed. There were various questions on it with circles for crossing “Yes” or “No”. It was mostly diet-related, asking about allergies and preferences. Sebastian grabbed the pen the doctor had left him and started filling the paper out, an exhausted sigh leaving his throat.

He did not know how long he had sat there, thinking about some answers, filling others out without a second thought, when there came a soft knock at his door. Sebastian looked up and smiled as he saw the nurse from earlier that day enter his room. She was balancing a tray with a covered metal dish on on one are, opening the door with the other. She walked over, setting the tray in front of Sebastian who smiled at her gratefully. “I hope this is alright, Doctor Victoriano said not to bring you anything too filling since your stomach might not be able to handle it yet”, she explained while lifting the metal plate cover and revealing a bowl of soup.

“Thank you so much, I haven't eaten since this morning”, Sebastian told her, moving the paper aside to make room for the food. The nurse's words replayed in his head, and his eyes widened as he recognized the doctor's name. “Wait a second. Doctor Victoriano? “

The nurse raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes, your assigned surgeon. Is there a problem?”, she questioned somewhat alarmed. Sebastian just shook his head and grabbed the spoon next to his plate, turning it in his hands musingly.

“No, it's nothing. I just, I think I've heard the name before is all...”, he mumbled, partly to himself. He looked up at the nurse with a reassuring smile on his face, when he noticed she still stood somewhat awkwardly next to him. “You can sit down if you- I mean, if you're free.”

She gave him a small smile and nodded, moving to take the seat opposite Sebastian. He had begun eating then, trying not to go too fast as the doctor had told him, though it was hard. His stomach was practically empty and he noticed only now how hungry he actually was. Sebastian shot the nurse an apologetic look, feeling a bit rude not talking to her, but she just waved her hand at him.

“It's fine, dear, you must be hungry”, she said, leaning back. “I'm sure you heard the name, being a police officer. The KCPD was highly involved with investigating the Victoriano family murders.” Her voice was casual, almost monotone, and it made Sebastian flinch for some reason.

“Yes, right, I remember that. I was still young when it happened, but I have colleagues who worked on that case… Horrible.” The Victoriano murders were listed as one of the most mysterious cases the KCPD had ever been involved in. It had never quite been solved, but that was not the official story. Unable to find the actual offenders, the police had taken in random suspects and - eventually - ended up throwing some farmers into jail who had years before been arrested for setting a barn on the Victoriano family estate aflame. “Right, the fire, now it makes sense...”, Sebastian muttered under his breath, biting his lip in concentration.

“You should not talk about the fire to the doctor”, the nurse stated tensely, “it's a very touchy subject, I'm sure you understand.” Her fingers tapped against the table nervously, but she seemed to relax again after just a few seconds. “I apologize”, she sighed, crossing her arms. “It's just- I have known Doctor Victoriano for some times now, and he is a brilliant surgeon and a kind man once you get to know him. It happens too often that people reduce him to traumatic past.”

Sebastian finished eating, setting the now empty bowl back on the tray before meeting the nurse's eyes. “It's fine, I understand. I'm sorry if I sounded disrespectful, it's just that I have some friends who worked on that case years ago. No one really talks about it, so I don't know a lot, that's why I'm curious.” He twiddled his thumbs self-consciously, not knowing what else to do with his hands.

She sighed, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table. “I would prefer not to talk about my superior's private life, if you don't mind. I hold great respect for him, Mister Castellanos, and I don't wish to talk about him behind his back”, she stated and leaned back again, looking more relaxed now.

Sebastian raised his hands somewhat defensively. “It's okay, I'm sorry,” he repeated, leaning back in his chair to symbolize the he was willing to let the subject go. “Oh, and please call me Sebastian”, he added with a smile.

“Tatiana”, she stated simply, returning his smile. “I am surprised to see Doctor Victoriano so interested in a patient for once, by the way.” Her words made Sebastian furrow his brow slightly and he tried to form a question, though Tatiana seemed to catch up his confusion. “He usually avoids talking to his assigned patient as much as possible,” she clarified.

The man's brow furrowed even more. “He told me that were his 'methods', said he didn't want people 'interfering'...”, Sebastian mumbled confusedly, a hand on his chin.

“Huh, that is quite strange... But I guess he has his reasons, he always does”, Tatiana mused and moved to stand, picking up the tray. Nodding at Sebastian she said, “I hope it was enough, as I said, you are not allowed more food than this for today.”

Sebastian waved a hand at her, giving her another smile. “It's fine, I'll manage. Thank you for keeping me company, by the way”, he replied. Tatiana returned his smile, nodding briefly before making her way to the door.

“I'm on night shift, so if you need anything just tell me. I'll be at the counter”, she informed him before closing the door behind her, leaving Sebastian alone again.

His arms were about to move up to stretch, but he quickly caught himself as he remembered what the doctor had told him earlier that day. Sighing, he moved to his feet, walking over to the bed. Looking out the window, he noticed that the sun was setting, tainting the sky in a soft orange. Sebastian smiled weakly and grabbed his phone, sitting on the bed relaxedly.

He dialed Joseph's number and held the phone up to his ear, waiting for the other to pick up. After just two rings, the Canadian picked up, “Sebastian?”.

“Who else would call _you_ , Joseph?”, he joked, running a hand through his hair.

“Ha-ha, funny”, the other said and Sebastian could almost _hear_ him rolling his eyes. “Anyways, I was just about to call you, actually. I'm about to head to your apartment and pick up some stuff you need.” The sound of rustling clothes could be heard, then, “Any special wishes?”.

“A drink would be great”, Sebastian muttered, which earned him a somewhat riled sigh from the Canadian. “Jesus, Jo, I was joking, calm down”, he sighed before adding, “I'm good, just the usual. Clothes and stuff, you know.”

“Alright. How did it go, by the way? With that pissy doctor, I mean”, Joseph asked, the sound of a door opening accompanying his words.

Yawning, Sebastian ran a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes. “Good would be a lie, but he helped me get my memory back. I'm still trying to make sense of it, but at least I remember _how_ it happened...”, he trailed of and gave another yawn.

“I'll come over tomorrow to bring you your stuff, tell me then? You seem tired, I don't want to keep you from getting your beauty sleep”, the Canadian mocked as he apparently started the engine, judging by the sound.

“Oh shut it, Joseph”, Sebastian laughed tiredly, rubbing his temple with his free hand. “Hey, Jo, could you do me a favor?”, he asked a second later, fiddling with his bandages self-consciously.

“'Course, what is it?”, the other replied. He wasn't driving yet, he never called while driving, but the steady sound of the engine seeped through to Sebastian, a calming sound to him.

“Could you look up some files for me at work tomorrow? About one 'Doctor Victoriano'...”


	3. Rook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know this is really sappy and cheesy but hey, I like fluff ok. And I want my babies to be happy and in love, soooo yeah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry it took me so long, I just had some personal issues I had to deal with the past two weeks... Thank you all for being patient, I'm really sorry!
> 
> Thanks to LeslieLili26, Krikri, Kattya Yuki Flores and ChuChu for leaving comments,  
> as well as IndecisivePsyche, Mersykun, Shurely, Tinyomegapup, BLACK_GEAR_026, grimsloire, InternAtNVCR, LeslieLili26, Stinne98, Tall_skinny_scottish and others for leaving kudos.  
> It really keeps me going, guys, thanks a lot!
> 
> \- Love, Adam

**Tuesday, 20:38 PM**

******Beacon General Hospital**

 

There was a long silence on the other line and Sebastian fiddled with his bandages nervously. It wasn't like him to get nervous when talking to _Joseph_ but he felt like the other would not like this kind of topic. He had heard Joseph talking about the Victoriano Case with some of his colleagues once, asking questions but not receiving a proper answer. Since then the Canadian had always seemed to be very vary of it.

“Why?”, came the simple question. Joseph's voice sounded a bit tense and it made Sebastian regret asking him.

“I… I don't know, just forget about it”, he said quickly, still fiddling with his bandages self-consciously.

“It's about that doctor, right?”, he sighed and Sebastian could imagine too well that he was running a hand over his face. “Alright, I'll do it, but you owe me for that. You know I hate digging around the archive if it's not job related”, he added after a minute of silence, his voice still somewhat tense.

“Oh, don't be a baby, Jo”, the older man joked before adding, “I appreciate it, though. Thank you.”

“Shut it, Seb, seriously. I'll have to hang up now, see you tomorrow.” With that the Canadian ended the call and Sebastian was alone again.

“What a drama queen...”, he mumbled to himself as he put his phone down on the bed next to him. Looking out of the qindow, he ran a hand through his hair. The food had been all right but not very filling, his stomach still felt quite empty. Rubbing a hand over his middle, Sebastian came to his feet with a sigh and decided to explore the hallway some more. No way he would be able to sleep now.

As he made his way to the door, he opened the closet and threw on his ruined dress shirt, immediately feeling more comfortable.

A nurse passed him when he stepped out of his room, greeting him with a smile. Sebastian nodded at her and returned the smile. He decided to go right, where the chairs and table were located. There were currently two people sitting there, a women with an IV-stand next to her and a man who was busy typing something on his phone. Her fingers tapped against the wood impatiently.

Sebastian passed them with a polite nod and walked around the corner. He noticed there was another hallway with even more rooms running parallel to the one his room was located in. A seemingly empty sort of common room was situated at the end of the corridor and Sebastian decided to go there for a bit.

It did not have a door, only a frame which was a bit too open for the detective's taste, but he shrugged it off. The sun had set and the room was only dimly lit by a few floor lamps that stood in the corners. Various closets and shelves lined the walls, sofas and tables all around the room. He made his way over to one of the bookshelves that was filled with random titles, looking over book after book though he eventually gave up with a sigh. Sebastian loved to read but he was very picky when it came to books.

He flopped down on one of the white leather couches with a coffee table in front of it. There was a chess board on top of it, the figures sitting on it in random patterns.Leaning back with another sigh as he let his head roll back and rest against the back of it and closed his eyes. The detective concentrated on his breathing, feeling his chest rise and fall softly, careful not to put too much stress on his wound. Sebastian remained like this for a few minutes, his features relaxing as well as his muscles. He could her muffled talking outside the room and down the hall, the presence of people calming him even more. The detective may not have been a very social person, but in his current situation he probably couldn't have handled being completely alone anyways. So staying at the hospital was not all bad.

Sebastian raised his head as he heard footsteps near the doorways of the common room, blinking as his eyes readjusted to the dim lighting. A thin figure stood near the doorway, holding what appeared to be a clipboard in one hand, a steaming mug in the other. Sebastian squinted his eyes, trying to identify the figure when it turned its head towards him.

“Again, I would assume subtlety is a major skill a detective should have. But apparently it is not”, came the cool voice that Sebastian immediately recognized as his surgeon's. The man stepped into the room with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as Sebastian shot him a confused look. “I could hear you breathing”, the doctor stated simply while he made his way over to the sofa opposite the detective.

Sebastian instinctively sat up, resting his elbows against his knees. He watched the doctor as he came closer and eventually came to stand next to the sofa. “Do you mind?”, the man asked and tilted his head in question. Sebastian just shook his head and motioned him to sit, running a hand through his head as he shot the doctor a smile.

The blond set down his clipboard and mug, and Sebastian recognized the black liquid inside as coffee. The cup was still full and steaming, the detective swallowed as he stared at it longingly. He had not had any coffee since this morning, and even that had been too little.

He did not notice the doctor shooting him an amused look, an eyebrow raised. “Do you want it?”, he asked in a somewhat soft voice, “Take it, I don't have trouble staying awake anyways. I mostly drink it out of habit.”

“Yes, please”, Sebastian answered immediately, his hands reaching out to grab the mug before he could catch himself. Looking up at the blond, he raised an eyebrow at him, “I mean, are you sure it's not a problem?”.

The question earned him an amused chuckle and a simple motion of the doctor's hand, “Take it, I don't mind.”

Sebastian gratefully took the warm cup and wrapped his fingers around it, taking a sip of the black liquid. He usually drank his coffee black with two sugars but the doctor seemed to drink his all black. The detective didn't mind much, as he started to drink it in large gulps.

“I suppose you don't plan on sleeping tonight, then?”, the blond asked with his eyebrows raised. He was currently fiddling with something on the narrow table between them, though Sebastian was too busy with his drink as to check what he was doing.

When he finished, he set the cup down and gave a content sigh, leaning back against the sofa. Glancing down he noticed the doctor had taken up one of the chess pieces, turning it in his hands absentmindedly.

Sebastian wondered whether the blond had any work to do, because he certainly did not look busy. But perhaps there was not much going on right now; it was Tuesday night after all. He scanned the doctor's face quickly and upon seeing that the man's gaze was still focused on the knight in his hands, Sebastian risked a glance at the clipboard on the table. It was no problem for him to read upside down, he did it often at work, mostly when he caught Joseph writing a report and had a feeling it was about him.

The file was obviously a report from another doctor at Beacon Hospital, though Sebastian could barely make sense of anything it said. Medical vocabulary had never been his strong suit, and anyways, he was a cop not a doctor. But what he did catch were the first few lines of text stating who the report was from, who it concerned and to whom it was written.

 

_Re: Withers, Leslie  
Date: October 17, 17:00 PM_

_Referring Md.; Dr Jimenez Marcelo, Dr Victoriano Ruben_

_Facility; Beacon Mental Hospital_

“ _Further equipment required; Hypnosis therapy”_

_As my latest tests confirmed, the patient shows no useful reaction to any forms of therapy you recommended. I hereby request you to let me proceed as I have said I would if your methods would prove futile, as they have. I will also no longer update-_

 

The clipboard was snatched from the table and the doctor lay it next to him on the couch, text facing downwards. “This is none of your concern, Mister Castellanos”, he said coolly and Sebastian swallowed as he met the blond's pale eyes. What did he expect, laying those files down right in front of a _detective_? Of course Sebastian would try and read them.

“I'm sorry, I- I thought it was-”, he started but was cut off by a sharp motion of the doctor's hand.

“It's alright, just don't talk about what you read. It's none of your concern, Mister Castellanos, it really isn't.” He let out a sigh before straightening his back and adjusting his tie. His eyes closed and he let out another deep breath before looking back at Sebastian. “Do you play, Mister Castellanos?”.

Sebastian was taken aback by the sudden change of topic, still baffled by the doctor's unexpected reaction to him reading the file. He raised an eyebrow in question and the blond motioned at the chess board. He had apparently set it up, as the figures were all standing in their appropriate places now.

“Um, once or twice”, he answered slowly as his eyes scanned the doctor's face for any signs of annoyance in his features as there had been just a moment ago. But the blond's eyes were soft now, there was even a small smile playing around his lips. It made Sebastian brow furrow, he had not quite caught up on the doctor's pattern of sudden mood swings yet, but he shrugged it off quickly. Tatiana's words were still clear in his mind though. _He usually avoids talking to his assigned patient as much as possible_.It was all rather confusing to the detective, because her words and the doctor's actions didn't quite match up.

“I'll show you, Mister Castellanos”, the blond stated before adding, “if you don't have anything else planned, I mean.” He shot Sebastian a questioning look and even though his mouth was a rather straight line now, his eyes were smiling.

“Um, no. No, I'm free”, he replied and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees again and chin on his hands. “And please, call me Sebastian. _Mister Castellanos_ makes me feel old...”.

“I understand”, the blond chuckled softly which made the detective smile a little. There really was something rather endearing about the man; as strange a thing as it was to think about your doctor, Sebastian couldn't help but notice it.

“You can call me Ruben, just not in front of hospital staff. There I'm still Doctor Victoriano to you”, he said with that small smile still on his lips. He had adopted Sebastian's posture, chin resting against his scarred hands.

The detective did a mock-saluting motion and smirked at the doctor. “Of course”, he said before leaning forward to fiddle with one of the black pawns in front of him. It felt a little strange to him, having his surgeon so casually spending time with him, though he shrugged it off quickly. He actually felt quite comfortable in the blond's presence, despite his strange mood swings. “So, how does this work again?”.

The question earned him another chuckle and Sebastian couldn't help but smile at the other man. As corny as it sounded, he actually felt really comfortable around him. The way he moved and talked, his voice and the way he looked up at Sebastian with his head duck just slightly, it was all so… _attractive_ to the detective. He usually wasn't one for “love at first sight stories”, but this was _different_. Or was it?

“How about we start with you putting your pawn back where it belongs”, the doctor – no, Ruben – said, reaching out his hand to take the figure from Sebastian. The detective swallowed as their fingers brushed against each other which earned him a raised eyebrow and a soft smile from the blond.

Sebastian felt more than a little awkward right then but thankfully Ruben acted as if nothing had happened.

“So, there are sixteen pieces, obviously. The king”, he pointed at the black piece right in front of Sebastian, “moves one square horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. There's a special move called _castling_ that you can do with the king, but let's forget about that for now.“ His finger moved to the left, pointing at the next figure. “The queen moves any number of  free squares in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction. Same with the bishop, though he can only move diagonally. Do you still follow?”, he asked and looked back up at the detective.

He nodded simply. So his doctor was elegant, kind of mysterious and also very smart. Sebastian felt like he was in one of those poorly written teenage romance novels he had tired to read some time ago but given up on because they were too cheesy for his taste.  He thought they were just unrealistic; well, apparently he had been wrong.

“Right, the knight basically moves in an L pattern and is not blocked by other pieces, it just jumps over them.” Ruben was maintaining eyes contact now, which made Sebastian's jaw clench slightly. He felt blood rushing to his cheeks and wanted to look away, focus on the chess pieces instead. But there was something about Ruben's eyes that wouldn't let him, their pale gray color just pulled him in and he could do nothing about it.

“Are you not feeling well? Your face looks flushed”, Ruben questioned and Sebastian gave an internal sigh of relief at the doctor's obliviousness.

“I'm fine, I just- I think the, uh, medication is wearing off”, he lied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you have any painkillers with you?”. He looked down at his feet and shifted uncomfortably as Ruben gave a somewhat confused nod.

The doctor reached in side one of the pockets of his lab coat and pulled out the pill bottle he had given to Sebastian earlier that day. “Are you sure you're feeling alright? Do you want me to take a look at your wound?”, he  asked as he handed the bottle to Sebastian. Concern was clear in his voice and the detective couldn't help but feel  pleased. He also felt a little bad; but only a little.

“No, it's fine, really”, he reassured as he took the bottle, taking a pill and swallowing it dry again. He didn't actually feel any pain but he could not possibly back out of this little lie now. _How_ would he anyways? Tell his doctor he thought he had pretty eyes? Never, he would gladly swallow the whole bottle of pills than admit that.

Now that he thought of it, he realized there were actually quite some pills missing. “You got hungry?”, Sebastian joked, closing one eye as he looked into the bottle.

“No, I actually need those for myself”, Ruben stated matter-of-factly, his tone cooler than before. “Believe it or not...”. He looked to the side, pulling the sleeves of his lab coat over his hands and adjusting his collar as to hide the scars.

Sebastian instantly regretted his words. “I'm- I'm sorry I didn't think about-”

“No, don't. Don't apologize, please”, Ruben cut him off, still not meeting his eyes. He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge if his nose, eyes closed. Sebastian shifted uncomfortably, he felt bad for making the blond feel so self-conscious.

“Look, I know you don't wanna hear it, but I'm really sorry. I didn't think about it...”, the detective spoke softly, still rubbing the back of his neck. “Should we just… I don't know, go back to you explaining chess to me?”, he offered as he tried to get the doctor to look at him.

When Ruben finally looked up his eyes were soft and there was even a weak smile on his lips. Sebastian gave another internal sigh of relief,  returning the smile softly. “I still don't know how the rook works.”

Ruben gave a small chuckle, relaxing visibly as he leaned forward and took one of his own white rooks from its place. “The Rook is my favorite.  It moves any number of vacant squares vertically or horizontally, but it can't jump, of course.” He put the figure back on its place and pointed at the eight figures standing before all others.

“The pawns are probably the most complicated, if you will. Once it moves from its initial square, it can only move one square at a time. It can capture another piece by moving diagonally, but not by moving straight. There's also a special move that pawns can do, but let's forget about that for now, alright?”.

Sebastian  could not do more than nod, trying to process the information. He did not want to have to ask again, so he went over all of the figures' moves in his head, before nodding again. “Alright, I think I got it”, he  smirked.

Ruben gave another chuckle and leaned back, arms crossing  in front of his chest. “Go ahead, you have the first move.”  It was clear to Sebastian in the blond's tone and body language that he did not expect the detective to win.

The detective's brow furrowed as he thought about his first move. After a short while, he reached out to his left knight and moved it. Apparently, Ruben had not expected him to make a move like that, as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Though he quickly caught himself and leaned forward to move his outer left pawn. The he looked up at the detective with one raised eyebrow and a small smirk.

Sebastian's brow furrowed even more.  Well, this was going to be interesting.

 

* * *

**  
Tuesday, 22:07 PM**

**Beacon General Hospital**

 

“Checkmate.”

Sebastian gave an agitated groan at the smug look Ruben gave him. The doctor leaned back against the white leather sofa, arms crossed in front of his chest.

“You didn't expect to win, did you?”, he chuckled, which earned him another groan from the detective.

“...Don't you have work to do or something?”, Sebastian asked, almost pouting. He had not expected to win, but it was never fun to lose. One of his hands ran through his hair and he gave a mock-annoyed sigh.

Ruben pulled the sleeve of his lab coat back to look at his watch. A rather expensive looking watch, Sebastian noticed. “My shift ended about an hour ago, actually”, the blond stated as he readjusted his clothing.

“Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you from going then”, the detective said, rubbing the back f his neck. He had not realized how late it had gotten, he had been too focused on trying to win the game. Looking up, he saw the doctor smiling at him softly, though he seemed to quickly catch himself again. Ruben cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, not meeting the detective's gaze.

“It's not a problem”, he spoke, his voice soft and quiet, “I enjoy your company to be honest.” It could have been the dim lighting making Sebastian imagine things, but he thought he saw a hint of red on the doctor's cheeks just then.

“But I just probably go now, I have an early shift tomorrow.” Clearing his throat one more time, Ruben moved to stand up, picking up the empty coffee mug as he did so. “I will see you tomorrow. If you feel unwell, Miss Gutierrez is just at the end of the hall. I believe you have met already.” The blond's tone was somewhat curt and the color in his cheeks had not disappeared, which made Sebastian feel slightly confused. He brushed it off though, and shot the doctor a smile as he too moved to stand.

“I'll see you tomorrow then”, Ruben said and nodded at the detective and he could have sworn there was a hint of a smile on the man's lips. “Have a good night, _Sebastian_.” With that he turned and strode out of the room, and Sebastian thought he saw just the slightest  of jumps in his steps.

The detective stood there a while, smiling stupidly at himself before he started making his way back to his room, a content sigh leaving his lips.

There was truly something very enticing about this man, and  it made  Sebastian want more.

 

 


	4. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh wait, did I tag this as Slow Build? I don't give two dingles ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for taking so long!  
> Thanks to LeslieLili26, ChuChu and BoboKitty for leaving comments!  
> Also thanks to disgustingmeme, Sele_Art16, SkinandBones, KittyInferno and others for leaving kudos.
> 
> (-whispers- I made an art blog on tumblr, and idk you could check it out or something if you feel like. Just maybe, you know... adamdoesartsystuff.tumblr.com - it's NSFW but I don't think you guys mind that hah)
> 
> \- Love, Adam

Sleeping in an unfamiliar environment had never been comfortable for Sebastian. He did not know why, he just felt strange sleeping somewhere he was not used to. He had wandered around the hall for about two hours when Tatiana placed a hand on his shoulder, telling him to go to sleep and asking if he felt unwell.

The detective had just given a weak sigh, nodding as he made his way back to his room.  
  


* * *

 

**Wednesday, 8:14 AM  
** **Beacon General Hospital**

  
Sebastian was woken by the sound of his door opening and closing again, followed by footsteps that seemed approached him. Light penetrated his closed eyelids as somebody opened the curtains. Groaning, he threw an arm over his eyes, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

“Rise and shine, _Sebastian_ ”, came a cool, soft voice and the detective immediately moved to sit up.

Groaning again, he began rubbing his eyes sleepily, trying to get them to adjust to the light. He heard a faint chuckle from across the room as he stretched, the muscles in his back shifting. His eyes opened slowly and looked over to where the voice had come from. Ruben stood at the table, apparently looking over the sheet of paper Sebastian had filled out yesterday. The was a slight frown on his face.

“You left out the question about your drinking habits”, he said and turned towards Sebastian, who faked a yawn, not meeting the doctor's eyes. The man's pale eyebrows rose, “Sebastian?”.

It made the detective's lips twitch into a faint smile, hearing Ruben say his name. But he still did not meet his eyes, running a hand through his hair instead, wishing he had a hairband to tie it back.

Ruben's brow furrowed. The detective was purposely avoiding his words, and Ruben did not like it. “Is there something I should be worried about?”, he asked before quickly adding, “I am your doctor after all.”

Sebastian gave a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “It's nothing. I just had some problems a few years back, nothing major.” He felt uncomfortable talking about it with a practical stranger but he guessed he should not lie to his doctor. He felt conflicted; he knew _his surgeon_ should know about this, but he did not want _Ruben_ to know.

“I understand. I don't expect you to tell me personal details, don't worry”, Ruben reassured as he put the sheet on the clipboard he had placed on the table. “You don't have to look at me like that, I'm not going to ask questions.”

Sebastian did not know what expression he had right then, but he did notice that his cheeks felt hotter than normal. He ran a hand over his face and cleared his throat. About to stand up, he spotted his trousers and shirt hanging off the nightstand and quickly pulled the blanket up again. Right, he had taken his clothes off before he had gone to sleep, of course. He could just get dressed, but it made him feel strange. A hospital, to Sebastian, was a professional environment and he did not want to walk around in nothing but briefs in a place like this.

Ruben approached the bed, looking at the detective with his eyebrows raised, arms crossed in front of his chest. “I need you to get up to look at your bandages, then you can take a shower”, he informed the other as he readjusted some pens in his lab coat' breast pocket casually.

Sebastian's jaw clenched and he decided it was no good anyways, asking his doctor to wait outside while he got dressed seemed more awkward than standing in front of him in just his underwear. Sighing, he pushed the blanket aside and moved to stand, adjusting his briefs as he did so.

“You don't have to act all self-conscious, you wouldn't be the first half naked person I've seen today”, he said matter-of-factly which caused the detective's eyebrows to raise. Ruben ignored him. “Now, come over here, I'll have a look at your wound.” He motioned Sebastian to come and stand in front of him. The detective complied with a sigh, giving Ruben a small smile as he looked down at him. There was a slight blush on the doctor's cheeks, barely visible, but Sebastian noticed it nonetheless. I made his smile a little wider, though he resisted raising an eyebrow.

Ruben's hands were cold against Sebastian's skin and the detective flinched a little. His bandages were unwrapped carefully, Sebastian lifting his arms when needed. Ruben did not say a word, but the detective could have sworn there was just the slightest hint of a smirk on the man's lips. Sebastian felt a little awkward staring down at the doctor while he worked on inspecting the stitches on his chest. Though the detective did not feel any pain, it was a very unpleasant sight. The color of his skin around the wound was a strange mixture of blue and yellow, dried blood stuck to the stitches. Sebastian looked away, letting his gaze drift about the room instead. He did not have a problem with these kinda of things, but he would rather not look too closely.

Ruben gave a low hum, “It's healing faster than I anticipated.” His voice trailed off and Sebastian could feel the man's fingers linger against his skin. “We may be able to remove the sutures in about a week.”

There was silence for a few minutes as the detective let his eyes scan the room, waiting for Ruben to continue talking.

Eventually, Sebastian turned his head to look at the man with his eyebrows raised as to say “A bit more information would be great”. He swallowed as he noticed Ruben's eyes running up and down his body, fingers still cool against his chest. There was a rather obvious blush on his cheeks, teeth biting his lower lip gently. When the doctor looked up and met Sebastian's eyes though, he seemed to catch himself, pulling his hands back quickly and clearing his throat.

“I- I will be back in an hour”, he stuttered, not meeting the detective's eyes. Then, he took a deep breath, his expression unreadable when he finally looked up. “You can take a shower, but watch the wound. If you need anything just call for a nurse.” His voice sounded monotone though he spoke a little faster then usual. Sebastian found himself smiling stupidly, as Ruben turned to leave, hurriedly exiting the room.

He really was strangely endearing.

“Ah, right, shower”, the detective mumbled to himself, shaking his head shortly to clear his thoughts. Wait a minute, he didn't even have any clothes to change into. Letting out an annoyed groan, he ran a hand through his hair, reluctantly accepting the face that he might just have to change back into the clothes he was wearing right then.

Picking up the rest of his clothing, he made his way over to the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. For a second he considered unlocking it in case something happened, but he shrugged it off quickly. He was perfectly capable of _taking a shower_ by himself, thank you very much.

Sighing, he threw his clothes in the sink and took off his underwear. Sebastian stepped into the shower and turned the faucet, letting out a content sigh as the hot water started pouring over his body. Closing his eyes, he turned his head up and let the water run over his face and hair. His hands ran over his body, kneading the muscles at his neck as he let out another sigh.

Sebastian grabbed a seemingly unused piece of soap from the shower shelf and began cleaning himself, careful to avoid the stitches. Turning around, he leaned against the tiles, eyes closing contentedly. The water's warmth made him drowsy and he felt his thoughts beginning to wander.

First he thought about work and how he would get those extra hours he was missing by staying at the hospital. He would ask Joseph to bring him some case files to look over. He had enough time now anyways.

Sighing, he found himself thinking about last night, wondering what that report had been about. He had not been able to read much of it, but enough to become curious. Though he guessed asking Ruben about it would get him nowhere.

 _Ruben_. Sebastian let out a deep hum. He did not know what it was about the other man that drew him in like it did, but honestly he did not care. The man made him feel comfortable, that was all he knew. He was elegant and interesting. And his voice - god his _voice –_ made Sebastian's blood rush south.

He let out an annoyed groan as he glanced down to find his right hand had unconsciously moved to his groin, fingers wrapping around his length loosely. “Ah, fuck”, he muttered lowly. He felt conflicted to say the least, he did not want to get off on someone he had known for only about twenty-four hours. Then again, he couldn't help but think of how Ruben's cheeks had turned red before, how his eyes had examined Sebastian's his body, the ways he had bitten his lip, his breath against his skin-

“Ugh”, Sebastian groaned, giving in. His eyes closed and leaned his head back against the tiles, fingers wrapping around his length. Fantasizing about his doctor may have been a new low in his life, but Sebastian did not care right then. He let his hand move up slowly, flicking his thumb over the head, his eyes rolling up. Cursing lowly under his breath, Sebastian let his hand move faster, soon falling into a regular rhythm. He had no intention of letting this last longer than it had to.

His breath quickened and he let out a sigh as his mind began to wander once more. He thought of Ruben and how sweet he looked when flustered, the arch of his brow, the strong line of his jaw. His cool gray eyes and how they had looked him over, his cold fingers. Sebastian moaned lowly as his hand picked up the pace.

Brushing off his conflicted feelings, he tried to imagine how Ruben looked under all his formal work clothes. How wide did the scars spread, those scars that were so strangely attractive to Sebastian. It gave the man a mysterious aura.

“Oh fuck”, he breathed as his legs became weaker, his back sliding down the tiles. The hot water poured over him as he sat on the shower floor, fingers wrapping tighter around his shaft. He let out a deep breath, eyes rolling back in pleasure.

He imagined it were Ruben's cool fingers around him, stroking up and down in a steady, fast pace. His breath came in pants and he thought about how the blond would look like on his bed, legs spread, back arching, crying out his name and-

“Ah shit, yes”, Sebastian moaned as he came, head rolling back in pleasure. The movements of his hand became erratic as he stroked himself through his orgasm. Breath coming in heavy pants, eyes shut tight, he sat there waiting for the aftershocks to subside, his hand running up and down his thigh absentmindedly.

A few minutes passed in which Sebastian caught his breath, smiling bitterly at himself. How was he supposed to look at Ruben now, without feeling like a complete pervert?

He let out a sigh, trying to shrug off the awkward feeling. Moving to stand, he grabbed the soap again and started cleaning himself up, before turning the faucet and stepping out of the shower. Sebastian grabbed one of the white towels from the shelves on the wall and began drying himself off. Then, he took his clothes and threw the towel in the sink, dressing up quickly, though he left the shirt off.

When he was done, he looked at himself in the mirror, running a hand over his cheeks. Joseph always commented on his stubble and about how he should shave more often, but Sebastian found himself liking the idea of a beard. Maybe he would let it grow a bit, if only to piss off the Canadian. Smirking, he picked up the towel and began drying his hair halfheartedly.

His eyes went wide when he stepped out of the bathroom. Ruben was sitting at the table, two cups of coffee in front of him, reading through some files on the clipboard he had left earlier. There was a small yet obvious smirk on his lips, though it disappeared almost immediately as Sebastian entered the room.

“Didn't- Uhm, didn't you say in an hour?”, the detective stammered, feeling himself start to blush. Oh god, had he heard anything? He could not tell by the other's expression, his features relaxed yet unreadable.

“It didn't take me as long as I thought”, Ruben answered, “I can leave if you need some more time _alone_.” Sebastian couldn't help noticing how the other emphasized the word, and he could feel himself blushing even more. Well, shit.

“Are you not feeling well, your face is all red”, the doctor smirked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Sebastian did not answer. He took a deep breath as he finished drying his hair, throwing the towel on the bed as he walked over to Ruben. The other's eyes were focused on the paper he was reading, though he was still smirking into his mug contentedly. As Sebastian sat down, Ruben pushed the other cup towards him, still not taking his eyes off the clipboard.

“Uhm, thank you”, the detective said slightly confused, but he picked up the coffee nonetheless.

“So, how are you feeling, _Sebastian_?”, Ruben asked as he set down his mug, turning his attention on the detective.

Sebastian swallowed thickly, his jaw still tight. “I- I'm fine”, he stuttered, trying not to break eye contact. Ruben smirked slightly and the detective did not know if it should make him feel comfortable or the exact opposite. Thankfully, the blond rose to his feet a second later, striding over to the closet by the door. He took a few items and made his way back over to Sebastian who had just finished gulping down his coffee.

“I'll need you to stand for this, or the bandages won't fit correctly”, he explained, setting the things down on the table. The detective moved to stand, presenting his bare chest to the doctor.

Ruben picked up a damp looking piece of cloth, straightening it before looking up at Sebastian. “This could hurt a little”, he warned before pressing the cloth against the detective's wound. Sebastian flinched a little as the alcoholic substance the fabric was soaked in burned against his wound. “Hold”, Ruben said and the detective did just that.

Picking up a roll of bandages, he began wrapping it around Sebastian's chest, bandaging the wound expertly. Sebastian tried to distract himself by watching the man's fingers work, though his mind still drifted off to the mental images of the blond it had created before. Sebastian shook his head shortly and tried to focus on the room's interior design instead.

When Ruben was finally done, he took a step back and examined his work, motioning the detective to turn around. Seemingly satisfied, he spoke “I'll have to leave now, but I will check back around noon.” He began picking up his things from the table, the clipboard and both cups. “You should be provided with breakfast soon, so stay in your room until you are.” He turned to Sebastian, a small smile on his lips. “I'll see you later then, _Sebastian_ ”, he said before making his way to the door, closing it behind him as he exited.

Sebastian sighed and ran a hand through his still damp hair. He felt his stomach growl and decided to sit down and wait for his breakfast. He was starving.  
  


* * *

**  
**Wednesday, 9:03 AM  
**Beacon General Hospital**

  
The detective's head shot up as he heard the door open. A nurse stepped inside, greeting him with a smile. It wasn't Tatiana as Sebastian had hoped, but he shrugged it off as she sat down a tray of food in front of him. He thanked her before she quickly strode out of the room again. As she closed the door, Sebastian caught a glimpse of more hospital staff hastily running around the hallway, all of them carrying similar trays. He guessed it was breakfast time for the whole station.

He tried not to wolf down his breakfast - which consisted of buttered toast, a bowl of cereal and a cup of black coffee - but it was hard since his stomach felt emptier than ever. He usually did not mind skipping meals, but normally when he did that he at least had coffee and his flask.

The food was gone all to quickly, but Sebastian felt sated enough. He pulled out his phone to check the time; 9:18, great. Joseph probably wouldn't arrive before 12, so he had to find something to kill time. He sent a short message to Joseph, asking him to bring some case files with him when he would come visit later, then shoved the phone back into his pocket.

Sighing, he decided to give the common room's “library” another chance. He threw on his shirt before leaving the room. There was not a soul in the hallway which made the detective feel quite comfortable. He made his way over to the common room, sighing in relief as he found it empty. Sebastian did not mind people at work or at the supermarket, but in his free time he like being alone. And he considered this hospital stay free time.

He walked over to the bookshelves, running his fingers over the spines as he read over the titles, looking for one that caught his interest.  After a few minutes of scanning the  titles , he pulled out a thin black book with a golden symbol on the back. Turning it, he read the title “ _The Electric Executioner_ , _H.P. Lovecraft with Adolphe de Castro“,_ and decided to give it a try.

S ebastian considered staying in the common room, though quickly decided against it. He preferred being alone when he read. He did glance at the chess board shortly though, still as they had left it the night before. A small smile played around the detective's lips as he made his way back to his room.

One inside, he noticed the tray was gone, and so was the towel he had thrown on the bed. Sebastian lay down and began to read, focusing completely on the book, the world around him becoming quiet.  


* * *

**  
**Wednesday, 12:13 PM  
**Beacon General Hospital**

  
He must have nodded  off since the next thing he knew was the sound of knocking against his door. Blinking sleepily, he rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. Setting the book on the nightstand, he stood to make his way over to the door. He did not even bother to look  who it was when he opened  the door , still rubbing his eyes tiredly. Sebastian tried to form a greeting but all that came out was a yawn.

“Good to see you too, Seb”, Joseph joked as he pushed past the detective and inside the room. He carried a black duffel bag which he threw on the bed before turning to Sebastian, who was still standing in the doorway. “Did I wake you up or something?”, the Canadian asked and looked at his watch. “Jesus, it's twelve, why were you sleeping anyways?”.

“Well, what else should I do?”, came the murmured response. Sebastian closed the door and walked over to his partner. Running his hands through his hair, he approached the bed to open the bag.

“Need one of these?”, Joseph asked, pulling out a black hair band from his pocket and handing it to the older man.

“I won't ask why you carry that around but thanks.” Sebastian took it gratefully, holding it between his teeth as he pulled his hair back into a bun and tied it in place. Focusing on the duffel bag, he pulled out the clothes Joseph had brought him, mostly sweaters, casual T-shirts and sweatpants, briefs.

“Thanks, Jo, I appreciate it”, Sebastian said as he put everything in the closet. Joseph had moved over to the table to pull some papers out of his briefcase.

“I brought you copies of some files of the latest cases to look over”, he said, adjusting his glasses as he sat down. Placing his chin against his gloved hands, he watched Sebastian finish storing away his clothes before walking over to sit with him.

Leaning down, he pulled another piece of paper out of his briefcase, handing it to Sebastian. “I did some research on your doctor, but don't get your hopes up, it seems like someone paid a lot of money to make sure no one has access to more personal details”, he said, “And I didn't look into the Victoriano Murders much, too suspicious. But apparently he and his sister, Laura, were the only ones who made it.”

Sebastian nodded gratefully as he read through the paper. There was not much information on there, but a few general facts caught the detective's eye, like height and age. “He's twenty-nine? How is he a surgeon?”, Sebastian wondered out loud, his brow furrowing.

Joseph shrugged dismissively, adjusting his glasses once more before pulling out his phone. Sebastian read over the paper a few times, finding most of the information uninteresting. What did catch his eye though, was the fact that Ruben apparently lived in the old Victoriano Residence. That alone was strange, since Sebastian had never thought about someone actually living in that place, it seemed ancient; though the fact that Ruben apparently lived there _alone_ seemed a bit strange to the detective.

“Juli just texted me, I gotta run”, Joseph said apologetically, placing a hand on Sebastian's shoulder, “You're gonna be okay?”.

The question earned him a mock-annoyed groan. “If I don't die of boredom in here, yes”, Sebastian joked ans shook his head. “You gonna come back tomorrow?”, he asked as the Canadian picked up his briefcase.

“Sure, I'll send you a message when I leave the station”, Joseph said, squeezing the other man's shoulder gently before he made his way over to the door. Just a he was about to grab the handle, it opened. Joseph took a quick step back, jumping a little as Ruben stepped into the room.

The doctor froze when he saw the Canadian, though he nodded curtly. His eyes moved from Joseph to Sebastian and back, brow furrowing. Joseph raised a hand somewhat defensively.

“I was just about to leave”, he spoke before turning to the detective once more, “I'll see you tomorrow then.” With that he pushed past the blond and exited the room. Ruben stood there for a few seconds, staring at Sebastian who crumpled the paper and stuffed it into his pocket quickly. The detective shot Ruben an awkward smile.

“Your _partner_ again?”, Ruben asked, though it was clear in his tone that he did not expect an answer. He took a deep breath and closed the door behind himself. Walking over to where Sebastian was sitting, he eyed him suspiciously.

The detective knew Ruben did not want an answer, but he still gave one, “Joseph, yeah, he just brought over some clothes for me.” He wanted to run a hand through his hair, though he stopped himself.

Ruben's brow furrowed. “He has access to your place then, I see”, he muttered in a cool voice. Sebastian wanted to roll his eyes at him.

“So you're the jealous type, eh?”, the detective mumbled under his breath, but still shot the doctor a smile.

“I am not any _type_ and I do not appreciate your whatever-he-is going through my personal records”, he snapped before reaching a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, letting out a deep breath.

“What, he didn't-”, Sebastian was cut off by a motion of the doctor's hand who seemed to have caught himself again. His expression was relaxed and monotonous.

“I was contacted that a certain Detective Oda went through my personal files”, he explained curtly, “but I assume he did not find any useful information?”. There was a smirk on his lips and he was seemingly pleased with himself for preventing Joseph from finding any important details on him.

Sebastian did not know how to talk himself out of it, so he just let it go, ignoring the topic completely. “And he's not _my_ anything, by the way. He's a friend and my workmate.”

Ruben turned his head, cheeks turning pink. “I don't like where this conversation is going. I'm your doctor, it's none of my concern”, he uttered, not meeting Sebastian's eyes.

The detective felt his lips twitch into a smile and he stood, moving over to the other man. He nudged Ruben's leg with his knee gently, trying to get him to look up. “Hey, no need to get all self-conscious”, he chuckled lowly.

Ruben put his hands against the detective's chest and took a step back, head held low. “Please, this is very inappropriate, I'm your surgeon”, he said softly, still not looking up. Sebastian considered backing off right then but something in the back his mind told him not to.

Grabbing the blond's chin, he tilted his head up gently. Ruben did not seem to mind though, judging by the way he just let Sebastian go on. “You won't be my doctor forever now, will you?”, he breathed, eyes looking over Ruben's face, taking in his expression. Eyes half lidded, cheeks flushed, breath heavy; Sebastian wondered if this was the first time Ruben was in a situation like this, because it certainly seemed so.

“Sebastian, please, I could lose my job for this”, Ruben muttered, though his body language did not quite match his words. The way he leaned into the detective just the slightest bit, his hands curling into fists, not knowing what else to do with them. Sebastian couldn't help but smile down at him, feeling content and warm.

“We don't have to tell anyone”, he whispered and leaned in, hot breath ghosting over the Ruben's slightly parted lips.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I know it's not actually possible for Ruben to be a full-fledged surgeon at age 29, but this is fiction so let's ignore that little detail, okay? Maybe he's just oh-so-clever and skipped a few years, who knows.
> 
> (Also spoiler, they're not gonna do the do yet don't worry, I still wanna keep this realtively Slow Build.)


	5. Key

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so so sorry for the inactivity, I can't tell you how bad I feel. I won't even try to talk myself out of it.  
> I didn't feel like writing not at all. School started again, I have a 40 hour week and because of that, zero motivation a lot of the time.  
> I had a plot planned out for this fic but honeslty, I don't like that plot at all anymore. So, I don't know where exactly this fic is going at the moment...
> 
> I will not abandon it though.
> 
> You'll notice that this chapter is pretty short, and I plan on writing future chapters at about this length too. I hope I'll be able to write more/faster that way, not forcing myself to make every chapter 7 pages long...
> 
> I hope you're still interested and thanks for your patience!  
> \- Adam

**Wednesday, 13:50 PM  
** **Beacon General Hospital**

  
Ruben's lips were rough, warm. It was clear in the way they pressed together into an almost straight line and his body stiffened, that the doctor had little – if any – experience with this kind of thing.

Sebastian's hand moved from the man's waist up to his cheek, his fingers tracing gentle lines along his torso. Resting his hand against the back of Ruben's neck, he let his thumb stroke over a spot behind the man's ear, smiling lightly into the kiss as he felt the doctor's lips relax. His other hand moved to Ruben's elbow, guiding his arm up to his shoulder, Ruben's fingers gripping the detective's bicep hesitantly. His other arm moved around the feel Sebastian's muscular back shyly.

Sebastian pressed his lips against the other's softly, smiling again as he felt him sigh and relax, his rough lips parting slightly.

Sebastian's breath was heavy, pulse quickening with every second, the thought of this being a mistake not wanting to leave his mind. But holding the other man in his arms like this made him feel warm, comfortable. He tried to brush the thought aside.

The detective took a step forward and Ruben drowsily complied, letting his back be pushed against the wall. Sebastian's hand moved from the man's neck to his chin, tilting the doctor's head up more, his tongue sliding against the other's lips slowly. The action caused Ruben's throat to release a small, surprised sound. Sebastian chuckled lowly as his fingers moved over the doctor's thrumming pulse, his tongue pushing past the man's lips.

Ruben gave a small whimper, his fingers gripping the detective's shirt tightly, eyes squeezed shut. His breath came in shallow pants and his head was spinning. A small sigh escaped Ruben's throat as Sebastian's warm tongue slid against his and he arched into the detective unconsciously.

At first, Ruben held his breath, not knowing how to react to having Sebastian so impossibly close to him. When the detective's hands moved up though, cradling his skull, he let out the breath he had been holding, sighing into the kiss. His muscles relaxed as he let himself be held, fingers still gripping the other man's shirt.

Ruben could feel Sebastian's teeth against his own, the man's rough warm lips pressing against his, their tongues sliding together. Sebastian's hot breath filled his lungs and Ruben felt like he could drown in the man right there.

Then, suddenly, a sharp sound reached his ears. Unwillingly, he pulled back, which made Sebastian groan quietly, sounding frustrated. The detective's large, warm hands left his skull and Ruben dazedly let himself be pulled into an embrace. He felt Sebastian release a long breath against his shoulder before placing a soft kiss against his cheek. Sebastian pulled back completely and Ruben simply watched as the man walked over to the door unhurriedly.

Ruben's hand went up, fingers brushing against his lips, his gaze unfixed. He could hear Sebastian talking and he turned his head slowly to look at who was at the door. Ruben frowned when he saw Joseph standing in the doorway, apparently handing Sebastian his apartment key. He turned his head quickly, facing the other way. His cheeks were still feeling hot and he did not want the Canadian to catch up to what had been going on just a few seconds ago. But maybe he could tell by looking at Sebastian?

_Oh, this was a mistake_ , Ruben thought, his mind racing. What if someone found out about this, what if he lost his job? He did not need the money, but his post at Beacon Hospital was still important to him.

He risked a glance over to the other man. Sebastian had apparently just closed the door and was walking over to Ruben. The doctor felt his heartbeat pick up again, his cheeks flushing. He wanted to disappear.

There was something about Sebastian that made his body react in ways he had not known before. He head read about it of course, studied it, but had never considered those feelings to apply to himself.

Ruben felt a warm hand on his chin and flinched slightly. His head was tilted upwards, a sigh left his lips as Sebastian's dark eyes met his, looking down at him warmly. Ruben crossed his arms before his chest as the detective tried to move closer.

Sebastian's brow furrowed, his voice low and somewhat concerned as he spoke. “Hey”, he nudged Ruben's leg with his knee, “what's wrong?”.

The doctor gave a frustrated sigh, his head moving to the side, arms dropping. He felt conflicted, to say the least, unsure of what to do or say. He was unfamiliar with these feeling, though Sebastian did not seem to be. Ruben felt lost. “I don't know, I- “, he ran a hand through his pale blond hair, messing it up somewhat, “this feels… wrong somehow.” He spoke fast and quietly, pale eyes cast downwards. “That's not the right word, I- I don't know, Sebastian...”, he trailed off, sighing again.

Sebastian did not know what to say, and he could not have described his feeling if he had tried. He understood what the doctor was trying to say, about this feeling _wrong_ somehow. The detective could not help but feel strange himself, wanting someone he knew so little about. He was normally a person who sought a sort of bond before making any moves.

But, as stupid as it sounded, he felt Ruben was different. He could not describe it, but something about the other man just drew him in so much and he was unable to resist. And maybe he did not even want to resist.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...”, Sebastian began, trailing off and searching for other words. “You told me to stop, I- I'm sorry.” He closed his eyes, sighing. His hands ran through his hair, pulling away the headband. He wanted to disappear.

Ruben bit his lip, unsure of how to react. He reached out to touche Sebastian's arm but pulled his hand back again quickly. He considered leaving the room, though he brushed the thought aside.

There was a silence between the two of them, somewhere between comfortable and awkward. Both men did not know what to do, to say. They felt strange, this kind of situation was new to both of them. Sebastian even wished someone would knock on the door again.

In the end, it was Ruben's pager that broke the silence.

He reached into his pocket, hoping to get some excuse to _leave_ , to collect his thoughts and wrap his head around all this. The doctor gave a resented sigh at the message.

_W. not cooperative, need assistance._

Sebastian looked up, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. He could not make sense of what he was feeling. On the one hand he was relieved about Ruben probably having to leave, on the hand though, he wanted him to stay.

“I- I'll have to go”, Ruben stated, fiddling with the pager. He hesitantly pushed past Sebastian, walking over to the door slowly. Some part of him wished the detective would say _something_ , hold him back.

Sebastian swallowed and took a deep breath. “Ruben?”, he spoke, voice low and quiet.

Ruben held himself back from turning around, not wanting to seem too eager. He simply stopped in his tracks, as to show the detective that he was listening. His fingers were still tightly wrapped around the pager.

“Would it-”, Sebastian broke off, hands running through his hair. “Would it change… things if I were out of hospital?” His voice was small and he sounded insecure. _How old am I, 16?_

The doctor felt his cheeks flush again and he cursed himself inwardly. Taking a deep breath, he turned around. He was unable to stop himself from smiling lightly at the sight of the detective. _Who knew a man like him could look so insecure?_

“I guess it would… But I have to think about all this”, he said lowly.

Sebastian's eyes shot up and he felt a grin play around his lips. “So we have a date?”.

Ruben stared at him for a few second before raising his eyebrows, a smile sneaking on his face. “I did not say that”, he chuckled, shaking his head at the detective.

Sebastian gave an internal sigh of relief as the doctor's smiled at him. At least the mood was not completely ruined. He was unsure though, if he should risk walking up to Ruben. “I'll take that as a yes”, he joked, his chest feeling lighter as Ruben chuckled in return.

The pager beeped again and the doctor quickly checked the message, groaning inwardly. “I have to leave, but I'll see you tomorrow, probably”, Ruben smiled, making his way to the door unhurriedly, “Goodbye, _Sebastian_.”

With that he left, leaving the detective to grin stupidly at himself.  
  


* * *

**  
Wednesday, 14:28 PM  
** **Beacon General Hospital**

  
As he made his way over to Beacon Mental, Ruben felt as if each person he moved past stared at him. Like they knew. It made him uncomfortable.

There was a slight skip in his step, though as soon as he noticed it he tried to pay extra mind to his movement. He did not want anyone to catch up to what had happened. It was not just the fact that a doctor-patient relationship was _against the law_ , no, for Ruben it also was about maintaining his reputation. He could not describe why, but he felt like his colleagues would… respect him less if they knew?

Ruben shook his head. _I don't care what they talk about me_ , he thought, but a nasty little voice in the back of his mind told him he did care. He was insecure.

Trying to brush those paranoid thoughts aside, he straightened his back and walked a little faster. He should just distract himself with work until he got home, where he could try and process all those feelings that were washing over him right now.

_Sebastian_.  
  


* * *

**  
Wednesday, 14:42 PM  
** **Beacon General Hospital**

  
The detective had moved over to his bed and was currently trying to concentrate on the book in his hands. Though it seemed impossible as he read a page and had no idea what had happened just a second later. Sighing, he put the book aside.

He moved his right arm behind his head, resting against it as he stared at the ceiling, a dreamy smile on his lips. Sebastian felt content, warm. There was still the biting thought of all this being a mistake, yes, but he tried not to pay it any mind. He felt like Ruben was meant to be with him, as cheesy as it sounded.

Sebastian let out a long sigh, smiling at himself. There were a lot of things to worry about, sure, but he did not care right then. Not about the law (Hell, he would be out of this damned hospital soon anyways), not about facing Joseph should he find out, not about the fact that he still did not know who had shot him.

Sebastian did not care about anything right then, thinking only about Ruben and how sweet his smile had been when he had left. Or about how _hot_ he had looked when they had kissed, with his cheeks flushed and eyes half closed.

God, Sebastian wanted to kiss him again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, as always:
> 
> Thanks to Krikri, ChuChu, LeslieLili26, grimsloire and disgustingmeme for leaving comments,  
> as well as JunsuChinCritic, Conan_Z and others for leaving kudos.
> 
> I really, really appreciate it!
> 
> (And yes, I know, the romance is unrealistic and those are two grown ass men not fucking teens but I don't give a dingle)


	6. Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chap again, but that's how they're gonna be from now on (I hope you guys don't mind too much <3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for taking so long, I didn't feel like writing... Idk, seeing all the great fics that are out there kinda makes me wanna stop writing, I feel like I suck at this
> 
> ANYWAYS  
> I hope this chapter is alright-ish

Days at the hospital were slow and tiring. The only thing that kept Sebastian's stay interesting were the occasional visits from his doctor. Though the detective felt Ruben was avoiding him. Not actively _avoiding_ him, just not checking on his patient as often as… well, before the kiss. Thinking of it still caused Sebastian to smile though, and send a kind of prideful glint to his eyes.  


* * *

 

 **  
****Sunday, 14:26 PM**  
**Beacon Mental Hospital**

 **  
** Making his way over to the General Health Wing of the hospital, Ruben tried to conceal the slight jump in his step. He felt strange for behaving the way he did around Sebastian, or even when just thinking about the detective, but he tried to not think too much of it. Though he still tried to act casual around his colleagues.

He nodded curtly as he passed a group of students standing in the corridor. One of them seemed to intend on walking up to him, so he quickened his steps, pulling out his pager to look busier. Ruben had heard some of his colleagues talk about how more and more students had requested to be schooled by him, though he had told them that he did not want any distractions. Instructing young doctors was the last thing he wanted to do, hell, he did not even want to work with experienced surgeons. Nurses he did not mind, but other surgeons just had the habit of getting on his nerves, always patronizing him because of his age.

Sighing, he opened the door to the General Wing's doctor's lounge, praying for it to be empty. He held back a groan when he saw someone sitting at the table in the corner. Looking closer though, he noticed the person was apparently taking a nap. Ruben just raised his eyebrows and walked over to the coffee brewer, trying not to make too much noise.

A smile crept on his face when he pulled two mugs out of the cupboard, pouring the hot liquid into both of them. He added two sugars to one of them, a somewhat giddy grin playing around his lips. He felt stupid for behaving the way he did, but he just could not help himself.

Glancing back at the doctor he found him still asleep at the table. Ruben picked up the cups and stepped out of the room. He avoided eye-contact as well as possible, not wanting to “explain” to anyone (or rather lie about) why he was carrying two coffees. Ruben was known for being somewhat of a loner throughout the hospital, so it could look slightly suspicious. _I could just be having a rough day or something, what do they care?_

Personally, Ruben would not care about his colleagues knowing he… had a thing for his patient? _It does sound weird if I put it like that…_  

Ruben shook his head to clear his thoughts, squeezing past the group of students once more. He avoided to look at them, so none of them would get the idea of it being okay to ask him something.

He took the elevator to the third floor and glanced around the corridors quickly, before stepping out. Tatiana looked up at him briefly, glancing at the two cups he was carrying. She smiled at Ruben knowingly, one eyebrow raised. The doctor nodded curtly, feeling a blush creep on his face. Tatiana had walked in on them two days ago, just when Sebastian had backed him against the wall, trying to kiss him again.

Ruben knew that Tatiana would never tell anybody, she kept to herself mostly, Like he did. But it still made the doctor uncomfortable knowing that _she_ _knew_.

He still tried his best to act casual as he walked past her, ignoring the look she gave him.

There was no one in the hallway Sebastian's room was in, but Ruben still felt watched. He shook his head at himself. He felt ridiculous, behaving the way he did. _Like a stupid love-struck teenager…  
_ Ruben's eyes widened at the word. _Love-struck?_ Gritting his teeth, he let out a sharp breath, trying to think of something else.

He was almost at Sebastian's door as he felt his heart start to beat faster. He let out an annoyed sigh as he came to stand in front of room twenty-eight.

Ruben took a deep breath and tapped his foot against the door. He did not know how Sebastian would react to seeing him. Since they had kissed – or better, since _Sebastian_ had tried to kiss him _again –_ Ruben had not known how to behave around the other man, so he had just kept his visits as short as possible. So, he was nervous about how the detective would react to him showing up with his two coffees and-

God, Ruben did not know _anything_ about this type of thing.

He jumped slightly when the door opened. He just stared up at Sebastian who stared back down at him with raised brows, eyes moving from Ruben's face to his hands and back.

Ruben wished the other would just say _something_ , anything to break the uncomfortable silence between them. _This was a bad idea._ Gritting his teeth Ruben gave an awkward smile. He did not meet Sebastian's eyes though, staring at the ground instead.

“I, uh- I brought coffee”, he stammered and held the cups a little higher. He could feel his cheeks getting hotter and cursed himself internally.

The silence continued on for a few seconds. Finally, the door opened a little wider and Ruben could hear the other man chuckling softly. He was unsure whether it was supposed to be comforting or not. Ruben was about to look up when he felt a large, warm hand brush against his, taking one of the cups. Ruben's cheeks flushed even more.

“You just gonna stand there all day?”, Sebastian chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee.

Ruben grit his teeth and pushed past the man, walking straight over to the table. He sat down and began turning his cup this way and that, trying to act natural.

Sebastian had in the meantime closed the door and was looking at the doctor's back with one rasied eyebrow. _Well, he brought coffee. That's a positive sign, right?_ Walking over to the other man slowly, he brought the cup back up to his lips and took a sip. No sugar.

The detective walked around the table, sitting down opposite Ruben. He did not notice the fond smile playing around his own lips as he watched the other man obviously struggling to find words to say. Sebastian could have easily started a conversation, but why make this so easy for the doctor? He sat back with a smug smile on his face.

Eventually, Ruben dared to look up, glancing at the detective. He was desperately searching for words to try and explain why he had been acting the way he had, keeping his visits short, not responding to Sebastian's occasional flirtatious (and inappropriate, might he add) comments and-

“That's the wrong cup”, Ruben blurted out suddenly. Judging by the detective's face that had been one of the last thing he had expected the doctor to say.

“What?”

“I, uhm- This is yours, I put sugar in it and-”, the blond broke off and pushed his cup over to Sebastian, taking the one the detective had just set down. He turned it in his hands and hesitantly took a sip, pointedly looking to the side and not meeting the other man's eyes.

“You put sugar in? How did you know?”, Sebastian asked, still smiling softly. He did feel a little awkward, trying to connect over coffee, but right now it was the only thing he could think of to say.

“Yes, I- you told me you drink black, two sugars...”, Ruben stammered. He had started playing with the handle of his cup.

“I did?”

“Yes, Thursday. When you asked me about chess and how the _castling_ move works-”, Ruben cut himself off. God, he should just let some other doctor take care of the detective, he had no idea what he was doing. He had no idea if he was doing things right or wrong or if he was even doing anything at all. He just was not made for these types of things.

Ruben's breath hitched when he heard Sebastian stand up. Had he done something wrong? He looked over to the other man who walk simply walking around the table, towards him, behind him. Strong arms sneaked around his shoulder and Sebastian's head came to rest against his shoulder.

“You're really cute, you know that?”, the detective whispered against his ear before pressing a soft kiss against Ruben's flushed cheek.

The doctor felt his heart skip a beat. Unsure if what to do, he simply leaded his head against Sebastian's, letting out a shaky breath. “Don't call me that, it's humiliating.”

The detective chuckled amusedly and let his arms tighten around Ruben for a second. “We're acting like a couple already”, Sebastian laughed as he let one of his hands slide to the blond's collar, moving to open the top button.

“ _I'm_ not doing anything here”, Ruben stated, his voice shaking slightly. He grabbed the other man's wrists and freed himself from the detective's embrace. Moving to stand, he picked up his cup and leaned against the desk, facing Sebastian. Trying to act casual, he took a sip of the black liquid before saying, “I actually came to tell you that you're allowed to leave tomorrow.”

Sebastian's brow raised, taken aback at the sudden change of topic. Though he caught himself quickly, a wide grin spreading on his face. He could not wait to sleep in his own bed again.

“Ah, finally, that's great news”, he beamed. Mentally he was already packing his things; he could not wait to get out of this damned hospital.

Ruben felt himself begin to smile as well seeing Sebastian grin like that. Though the smile quickly faded when the detective gave him one of his flirtatious _looks_. “Would you stop looking at me like that, it's very inappropriate.”

Sebastian chuckled softly before moving over to Ruben, taking the doctor's cup and setting it down next to them on the table. One of his hands came to rest against the blond's cheek, fingers tracing the line of Ruben's cheekbone gently, almost leaning against the blond. The doctor felt himself start to blush again and tried to look away.

“So, does that mean I can officially ask you out now?”, Sebastian rumbled lowly.

Ruben swallowed at the low pitch of the detective's voice. Apparently Sebastian had picked up on the fact that he could easily drive the doctor crazy by just lowering his voice.

“You're not out yet”, Ruben stated simply. His hands had subconciously moved to one the detective's belt loops, tugging on it softly.

The detective chuckled again, “That's not a no, then”. Leaning closer, he let his forehead rest against Ruben's, who closed his eyes instinctively.

They remained that way for a while, feeling the other's breath, their warmth. Ruben heart was pounding, though he did not mind it right then. He felt comfortable, not even worried about someone walking in on them and seeing… whatever they were doing.

After a while though, the doctor grew somewhat impatient. “Are you going to kiss me or can I stop waiting for it?”, he breathed, his voice shaking.

Sebastian hummed lowly in response. His hand wandered down to the blond's chin, tilting his head up gently. Ruben's eyes squeezed shut, his brow furrowing. The doctor could not help his breath quickening, though he cursed himself inwardly.

Sebastian's heart was pounding, making him feel warm and content. He pressed a gentle kiss against the corner of Ruben's lips, causing the doctor to let out a soft gasp. His free arm wrapped around the blond's waist, pulling him closer. Ruben's arms sneaked around the detective's neck, fingers moving up into his dark hair.

God, they really were acting like love-struck teenagers.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Shurely, LeslieLili26, Krikri and ChuChu for leaving comments,  
> as well as ani_babe93, bluenickels, Yokuutsu and other for leaving kudos!
> 
> Also I got messages on tumblr saying that the characters are too ooc, I'm aware of that, I tried writing them in character (and I failed horribly) but yeah. I'm aware they're ooc but all this fluff wouldn't be possible if they were totally in character soo. (Or maybe I'm just a lousy writer idk)
> 
> \- Hugs and Love, Adam


	7. Clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Probably full of mistakes but here it is (I need a beta, gods help me I'm too lazy to proofread all this)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the chapters being so slow lately...

**Monday, 11:12 PM  
** **Beacon General Hospital**

  
“It's unhealthy, you know”, Ruben stated.

He was sitting in room twenty-eight again, opposite the detective who was currently downing his third cup of coffee. The doctor did not look up from the papers he was going through for what felt like the hundredth time. They had all been sent to him by Dr. Jimenez and all contained roughly the same message. Since Ruben and Marcelo were both assigned to the same patient, one could not decide something without the other's permission, so Jimenez was now practically begging the blond to let him “take up new therapy methods”.

The blond knew it was not possible to keep refusing forever, Marcelo would file a complaint as soon as he had enough points to prove that Ruben was being “uncooperative”; but the blond would try to stall the older doctor as long as he could anyways. They had worked together for years, Marcelo actually acting as some kind of mentor to the young doctor. So, it was not a big secret between the two that Jimenez had a habit of viewing his patients more as… _subjects_ to try his “new methods” on, than actual breathing, thinking human beings.

Not that Ruben was all that different - or well, _used to be -_ but having worked with the other doctor for as long as he had, he had seen enough to know that Marcelo could be more danger to his patients than good. Though Jimenez was practically untouchable being as high a rank as he was.

Ruben shook his head a little, trying to clear his thoughts. He put the files aside and leaned back in his chair, letting out an exhausted sigh. He could feel a headache coming up.

“-unhealty? Hey, Ru, are you listening?”

Opening one eye, Ruben shot the other man a glare before closing it again a second later. “Who said you could call me that?”, he snapped halfheartedly.

Sebastian chuckled and shrugged his shoulders before realizing Ruben could not see him. “Ah, come on, it sounds sweet.” You could _hear_ the grin behind his words.

Sitting up, the blond gave a low hum and shot Sebastian another glare. He could not think of anything to say, he was too exhausted. Monday usually was his day off. His shift had ended about 7 hours ago, though he had a surgery scheduled in an hour, which was why he had decided to just stay. 

And maybe - just maybe – so he could spend some time with Sebastian.

Since the detective was allowed to leave this afternoon, Ruben had an excuse to stay with him longer than normal. If someone were to come in, he would just act as if he was in the middle of checking on his patient, nothing suspicious about that.

“Are you gonna drink that?”, Sebastian rough voice let Ruben snap out of his train of thought. Looking up at the detective he saw him leaning halfway over the table, fingers tapping against Ruben's still full cup of coffee.

Sighing, he pulled the cup away from Sebastian, taking a sip himself. “Even if I weren't I wouldn't give it to you”, he spoke and pointedly glanced at the three empty cups in front of the other man.

Sebastian leaned back with a half-annoyed hum and crossed his arms before his chest, turning to look at the clock on the wall.

“I should call Joseph soon”, he muttered to himself with a sigh.

Ruben tensed unconsciously and turned his head to the side, letting out a sharp breath. Sebastian looked at him with raised eyebrows, trying to hold back a chuckle but failing. It earned him a dangerous glare from the blond.  
After a few seconds Sebastian realized Ruben would not join his laughing, so he awkwardly cleared his throat and tried to look serious once more. The doctor's expression softened, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

It was odd somehow, the way they just got along. Sebastian felt so comfortable in the blond's presence, he could not explain why, he just _did_. As for Ruben, all of this was new territory; he had never really felt this close to another person, had always been more of a loner. Apart from Laura.  
But the way he liked Sebastian was very different from the way he loved his sister. Ruben felt… drawn to the detective, attracted by him, even though they both did not know a lot about each other.

“You're not really jealous of Joseph, are you?”, Sebastian joked, though it sounded somewhat hesitant.

“What would _I_ be _jealous_ about? I don't even know him”, Ruben snapped, his tone cool. Turning his head to the side, he crossed his arms, not meeting the detective's gaze. His eyes darted about the room, moving from the blue curtains, across the wooden panels on the walls to Sebastian's unmade bed, where they lingered.

Sebastian hummed amusedly, placing his arms on the table and resting his chin against them. “I like Joseph”, he started, watching Ruben closely, trying to provoke a reaction from the younger man. Ruben still did not meet his eyes, fingers tapping against his own bicep in a nervous manner, his jaw set. “But I don't know, he's not even my type”, Sebastian trailed off, grinning to himself when the blond's eyebrow twitched.

Ruben sounded monotone, though his voice shook a little when he spoke, “So, what is your _type_ then?”. His eyes widened for a second when he finished the question, cheeks flushing as he added, “Not that I care...”. His pale eyes followed the clock's sweep hand nervously.

Sebastian held back a chuckle, watching the other man sink a little deeper into his chair. “Short, angry and awkward”, he rumbled, grin clear in his voice. He was toying with the other man, but he could not stop himself from doing so. The doctor's reactions were just too entertaining to watch.

Ruben instantly turned to look at him, his back straightening. “I'm not- I'm not... _awkward_ ”, he snapped and put his hands on the table, fingers curling into loose fists against the flat white surface.

Sebastian chuckled lowly and grabbed one of Ruben's hands. He pulled it close to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against the scarred, cold fingers, before taking the hand into his, covering it in an attempt to warm it. Glancing up at the doctor, Sebastian found him blushing and pointedly looking to the side. He squeezed the man's hand gently, trying to get him to turn his head.

“Stop that”, Ruben murmured, halfheartedly trying to pull his hand away. When Sebastian let go, he drew both his hands back and under the table, pulling his sleeves down to cover them as best as he could. Sebastian furrowed his brow and moved to stand up.

Ruben still refused to look at him, though he shot the detective a quick glance when he heard him walk around the table. The detective was not wearing shoes, feet tapping against the linoleum covered floor.  
Ruben could feel his cheeks burning hot, his heartbeat a little faster than normal, he could almost feel it in his throat. He almost cursed himself for it.

Sebastian came to stand behind the doctor and slowly let his arms sneak around the blond's shoulders. He rested his chin against his arm, next to Ruben's ear. His hands moved down to pull the doctor's sleeves back. Ruben gave in reluctantly, allowing Sebastian to expose his hands, his teeth clenching as he looked at the contrast of Sebastian's tan skin against his; pale and scarred.

Why did he let this man touch him? Why did Sebastian _want_ to touch him?

He felt rough lips against his cheeks and tensed instinctively. Sebastian's stubble scratched against his cheek for a bit, before he pulled back his arms and squeezed Ruben's shoulders gently, before withdrawing completely.

Ruben glanced at the clock shortly, before looking up at Sebastian, smiling faintly. Returning the smile, the detective leaned down to steal a kiss. Using it as a distraction, he quickly grabbed the coffee still standing on the table. He chuckled triumphantly as he pulled back and moved to sit down opposite the doctor once more.

When Ruben seemed to have caught himself again, he gave Sebastian a judging look, one eyebrow raised. “Why do I put up with you?”, he muttered, shaking his head lightly.  
Another quick glance at the clock showed him it was 11:43; half an hour until his surgery was scheduled. He should get ready.

“I should go...”, the blond spoke softly, looking at his hands, black dress shoes tapping against the floor self-consciously.

Sebastian turned to look at the clock, grimacing slightly at how cold the coffee was. Then he looked over to Ruben, expression soft, just the slightest hint of a pout on his face. “Already?”, he asked and set down the cup. “Can't you stay a little longer?”.

“I would, but I have work to do, you know that”, Ruben chuckled. Sebastian's expression resembled that of a lost child.

“I'm gonna need your number though”, Sebastian said with a smirk, his former pout completely forgotten. He downed the rest of his – Ruben's – cold coffee before looking back at the blond, grinning.

Ruben crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, eyes moving from Sebastian to the now empty cup and back.

“Oh, come on, you need steady hands for surgery, you should thank me”, Sebastian chuckled and ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

Ruben gave a snort and shook his head slightly. “Why don't you tell good Joseph to go through my files again, maybe he can find my number”. The blond had to hold back a laugh at Sebastian's dumbfounded expression. He was not actually mad, he just want to play with the detective a bit.

“Are you ever gonna stop being salty about that?”, Sebastian asked, one eyebrow raised. There was an apologetic smile on his lips though, which caused Ruben to smirk.

“I don't know, will I?”. Ruben rose to his feet, looking at the four empty cups in front of the detective and deciding, no, he would not carry those back to the doctor's lounge. Sebastian turned towards him when he walked around the table, adopting an excited expression.

Taking a ball pen from his breast pocket, Ruben grabbed one of Sebastian's wrists and wrote his number on the detective's arm. Sebastian pulled his arm back to look at the scraggly numbers and chuckled.

“God, your handwriting is horrible.”

Ruben said nothing but lightly poked the area around the detective's wound with his pen. Sebastian cursed a bit and rubbed his chest. With a triumphant smirk, Ruben turned to pick up his papers and leave. He was just about to make his way to the door when he felt arms sneaking around his waist and Sebastian's scratchy beard against the back of his neck. Ruben let out a sigh, hesitantly leaning into the detective's embrace.

Sebastian's voice was a low rumble against the doctor's ear, sending pleasant shivers down his spine, “I really don't know what it is about you, but I just don't want to let you go...”. Warm lips pressed against the blonds neck for a second, causing his breath to hitch, jaw clenching. He still did not know how to react, not here.

Sebastian's strong hands grabbed his hips, turning him around. One of those hands moved up, cupping Ruben's face gently. “Everything probably...”, he whispered with a smile before leaning in just enough for their lips to brush against each other.

Ruben let out an irritated sigh, nudging Sebastian with his knee. The detective chuckled shortly, breath ghosting over the blond's lips. They stood like this for a while, the doctor's hands moving up to grip the front of Sebastian's shirt.

Eventually, it was Ruben who leaned in, pressing their lips together, his heart beating in his throat.

It was not like Ruben – not like Sebastian – to behave like this. Sebastian had had several hook-ups in the past, but this was different. He felt so comfortable, so _carefree_ around the other man.  
For Ruben, all this was completely unexplored territory, he was so afraid of doing something wrong, so unsure about what he was supposed to do. Though nothing he did seemed to upset Sebastian or hurt him. It was so different from how people usually reacted to him. What seemed to agitate most others about him, seemed to draw Sebastian in. It made him feel a whole lot less insecure about himself, and it was a great feeling.

Sebastian could feel Ruben smile into their kiss softly and he could not hold himself back from smiling as well. His arms sneaked back around the blond's slim waist, pulling him closer as their heavy breath mingled and their tongues moved together naturally. They were acting like a couple already, and Sebastian did not know what to think of that. Should it make him feel strange or content? He did not know, and quite frankly, he did not care.

Everything just... felt _right_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks toLeslieLili26, disgustingmeme, Shurely and ChuChu for leaving comments (srsly, thank you guys so much),  
> as well as MikiDelite, DownintheInternet and others for leaving kudos!  
> You guys are great!
> 
> \- Hugs and Love, Adam


	8. Phantom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah I'm sorry I'm so slow, also I have turned Ruby into a hipster thank me later  
> (I apologize for all the mistakes I am lazy and tired and all that)

**Monday, 15:08  
** **Beacon General Hospital**

  
Sebastian sat with his hand locked in his lap.  
He was watching Ruben who was having an – apparently – somewhat heated conversation with another doctor. Or was she a student? The blond seemed oblivious to Sebastian's lingering gaze on him, pointing repeatedly at some documents on a clipboard that the young woman was holding.

Sebastian found his eyes wandering along Ruben's body. He wore turquoise surgery clothing, gloves he had only just pulled off clutched in his free hand. Sebastian tried to hold back a smirk when the blond gave a sigh and rolled his eyes, causing the girl to shift uncomfortably.  
He could not hear what they were talking about, though he could easily guess it was work related. Ruben had told him once about how the students were “constantly trying to get on his nerves”. This seemed to be one of those situations.

From what Sebastian had overheard, nurses and surgeons alike seemed to talk very high of Ruben. Well, more of his work than of him as a person. Apparently, Dr. Victoriano kept to himself, occasionally snapping at students or colleagues, making himself somewhat unpopular amongst them. Though at the same time, most of the hospital's staff seemed to look up to him, talking of him with great respect. Ruben was one of the youngest surgeons Beacon General had ever had and one of the best.

Admittedly, it made Sebastian feel a little self-conscious courting someone so… _incredible_. Incredibly clever, incredibly fascinating. _Incredibly good looking too_ , Sebastian thought and raised an eyebrow as Ruben shifted, turning his back to the detective.  
True, Sebastian was a high-ranking member of the KCPD but that still did not help him feel less… small, next to Ruben.  
A sigh came past his lips and he shook his head lightly. Why was he trying to compare himself to Ruben?

A very audible sigh followed by quite hasty footsteps reached Sebastian's ears. He looked up, smiling smugly when he saw Ruben approaching him. The blond stuffed his gloves into the side-pocket of his turquoise shirt. The tiny red specks on them made Sebastian grimace slightly.

“How long have you been there?”, Ruben asked as he came to a halt in front of the detective. With his arms crossed before his chest and one eyebrow raised he did look somewhat intimidating. That effect vanished though, when Sebastian stood up before him, hand in his pockets to look casual.

“Some time”, the detective grinned. He was just about to reach out and adjust Ruben's slightly disheveled collar when he caught himself. There weren't too many people here in the entrance hall, but still enough to be thinking twice about doing something this casually affectionate. He raised he hand to his mouth instead, awkwardly clearing his throat.

All he got was an eye roll.  
“Were you not going to tell me when you left?”, he asked, eying the black duffel bag sitting on the fool next to Sebastian. His voice was a little quieter than usual.

Raising a hand up to the back of his neck, Sebastian said, “Well, I can't drag you out of surgery.” Ruben gave an acknowledging nod though his expression didn't change. It actually turned a little sour after a few seconds and his eyes went back to the bag. “You _were_ going to leave without telling me, though”, he said with a hint of a pout.

Sebastian had to hold back a chuckle. “I haven't found anyone to pick me up, yet, so I was gonna call for a cab. And you know how long they need to get somewhere.”The look Ruben gave him told him that no, he did not know. _I guess it makes sense, with all that money he has he probably has a personal driver as well…_

“I could drive you”, Ruben said suddenly. He clenched his teeth for a second when he felt his cheeks grow hot.

Sebastian's eyebrow went up. “Are you sure? Really, I can just wait for a cab, you don't have to”, he said. A smile played around his lips and his eyes wandered over Ruben's features. The doctor's eyes were cast down and his arms were crossed tightly before his chest. The neckline of his surgeon's shirt went way down, almost to the middle of his chest, a fabric – like a bandage – peeked out from under it. The strong lines of his collarbones seemed even more prominent with the scars that adorned the skin there. Sebastian had to hold himself back from reaching out and touching the other man.

“It's alright, I was going to leave now anyways”, he said with a look at the his watch that he fished out of his pocket, “I can drive you.” He sounded eager, though he was trying hard to suppress the tone. “You'll just have to give me a few minutes, I have to go change.” He gestured to his clothing, the specks of red on it made Sebastian grimace again.  
He didn't have a problem with blood, not at all. But there was something about the cutting people open aspect that just rubbed him the wrong way.

Ruben chuckled at Sebastian's expression and looked around the hall quickly. The few people that were present did not pay them any mind, so Ruben leaned forward and placed a cold hand against Sebastian's chest. Tilting his head up, he gave him a quick peck on the lips before turning and to leave, his hand sliding down dangerously low as he walked away towards the elevators at the far right of the hall.

Sebastian swallowed and watched Ruben waving at a littler bearer to hold the elevator. He shot Sebastian an innocent smile just before the doors closed.  


* * *

  
**Monday, 15:24**  
**Beacon General Hospital**

 **  
** Sebastian's breath hitched when he saw Ruben come out of the elevator and walk towards him.  
He wore elegant black dress pants, a dark violet shirt tucked in neatly, buttoned up all the way. He had kept on the dress shoes and carried an anthracite overcoat on his arm.  
Sebastian swallowed, looking down at himself. Old black sweatpants, boots and a gray shirt under a horrible green hoodie he had bought years ago.

When Ruben came to stand next to him, Sebastian's expression darkened further. _He even wears a fucking bow tie, who wear bow ties on a_ Monday _?  
_ “Nice outfit”, he grumbled and tried to resist the urge to shove his hands into his pockets.

Ruben eyes widened at that and he looked down at himself. “You don't like it?”, he said perplexedly.

“I feel a little under-dressed”, Sebastian said pointedly but chuckled which earned him a smile from the doctor.

“Oh, you look fine”, Ruben said, “that's a really nice, uh- well it's a really nice… outfit?”. He sighed, looking defeated. “I'm sorry.”

The force of the hand that connected to his back almost threw him off balance, and Sebastian laughed even harder. Ruben shoved the other man playfully and chuckled. He felt eyes on them though and when he looked around he noticed a group of students looking over to them curiously. Ruben cleared his throat and gave Sebastian a look that suggested they might want to get going about now.

Sebastian nodded and threw the bag over his shoulder. They stepped out of the hospital and the detective sighed contentedly as the warm afternoon sun warmed his skin. He had gone outside a few times during his stay, though he hadn't been allowed to go out for more than ten minutes at a time. Smoking wasn't allowed either, not until the sutures weren't out. It was frustrating.

Ruben led him around the complex to a wide parking area. At the far left there were roofed parking lots that even had name tags. All of them had names and doctor titles (some with multiple at a time) on them.  
Sebastian raised his eyebrows, feeling out of place, though he kept following the blond, lagging slightly behind.

The headlights of one of the cars lit up briefly and caught Sebastian's attention. He stopped walking abruptly, watching with wide eyes as Ruben opened the door of the sleek maroon colored vehicle and casually tossed his overcoat on the backseat.

“Is that… a _Royce_?”. Sebastian gawked, his bag slowly slipping down his shoulder.

Ruben looked uncertain for a second but nodded slowly. “Phantom, yes”, he said with an anxious undertone.

Sebastian blinked and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. The doctor shifted uncomfortably and looked at the other man with confused eyes. “If you don't want me to drive that's okay”, he said quietly.

“Are you kidding? I'd kill for this car”, Sebastian said excitedly, picking his bag back up and walking over to Ruben. The blond chuckled and held out a hand for the bag.

“You can drive if you want, I'm tired anyways”, he offered as he stored the bag away.

Sebastian gawked. “Are you sure?”, he said, voice eager.  
Ruben laughed softly and motioned for the detective to get in the car, while he took the passenger seat. Sebastian stood there for a moment before he got in as well, carefully, fingers trembling with excitement.  


* * *

  
**Monday, 16:02**  
**Krimson City; near Krimson Expressway**

Ruben's eyes lingered on Sebastian's face.  
He had originally planned to doze a little while the other man drove himself home, though he had found it impossible to tear his eyes off the detective.

Eyes fixed on the road, Sebastian drove the unfamiliar vehicle with easy. Ruben had only used other cars a few times and he had always found it irritating to drive something he wasn't used to. Sebastian though didn't seem to have any problems adjusting.  
A constant smile played around the detective's lips, his dark eyes almost gleamed with joy. It made the blond smirk, seeing the older man looking so excited.

A suffering noise tore Ruben from his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow and looked out the windshield. They had rounded a large apartment complex and Sebastian was carefully pulling into an empty parking spot.  
“We're here”, he said, sounding somewhat down. There was a hint of a pout on his face.

Ruben chuckled softly and turned to the detective. “I'd offer you to drive me home, but you wouldn't be able to get home yourself then”, he said with a shrug.  
Sebastian shot him a suggestive smirk but Ruben simply rolled his eyes and shoved at him halfheartedly.

Strong hands caught his chin, fingers running over his scars. He could barely feel it and still his heartbeat picked up almost immediately. It was like instinct, leaning into the other man's touch.  
Sebastian smiled fondly and cupped his cheek as he leaned over, placing his other hand on Ruben's thigh.

“Sebastian”, he breathed, reaching up to grab at the neckline of the detective's sweater.  
Their noses were only millimeters apart and they could taste each breath the other took. Ruben could almost feel his heart in his throat and it wasn't much different for Sebastian.

There was a lingering fear at the back of their minds though, but neither of them dared to speak it. It was often that people fell in love for the same reasons they fell out of it. Maybe they were rushing it? Maybe this wasn't meant to last?  
What if one day, Sebastian would no longer think of Ruben's skin as fascinatingly beautiful but irritating and wrong? What if someday Ruben would find Sebastian exhausting and childish for not being able to keep up with his lifestyle? What if-

The thought vanished at the feeling of their lips pressing against each other. Ruben let out a sigh, his free hand wandering up to Sebastian's stubbled cheek. The traffic was merely a background noise, the sound of their breath and lips pleasantly clouding their minds.  
A soft gasp came across Ruben's lips when Sebastian's hand moved down from his cheek to the violet shirt, absentmindedly trying to open one of the middle buttons. He grabbed the detective's wrist halfheartedly.

“Seb... don-”, he said in between kisses. Sebastian's hand slipped inside his shirt, warm fingers brushing against his stomach. Ruben's breath grew heavier and he leaned his forehead against the detective's shoulder, cheeks flushed.  
Placing a gentle kiss against the blond's temple, Sebastian let his hand wander upwards, his heart beating fast.His fingers brushed against the bandage he had noticed earlier though he paid it little mind. It was wrapped from the left shoulder down to the right side of Ruben's chest, giving him access to the left side.

When he felt fingers stroke over his bare chest, Ruben let out a soft whimper, jaw tense. “Sebastian”, he breathed, gripping the detective's sweater harder.

“Didn't we agree on you taking me out for dinner first?”.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to LeslieLili26, BoboKitty, JakeIsFake and Shurely for leaving comments, you guys are fucking great!
> 
> \- Hugs and Love, Adam


End file.
